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PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 


THE  LITTLE  GARDEN  SERIES 

Edited  by  Mrs.  Francis  King 


THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 
By  Mrs.  Francis  Kivo 

VARIETY  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 
By  Mrs.  Francis  King 

PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 
By  Mrs.  Edward  Harding 

(Other  volumes  in  preparation) 


A  planting-  of  peon'ie.s  at  Burnley  Farm 

Clipped  lilac-hedge  overtopped  by 
Eleagnus  angusti/olia 


THE  LITTLE  GARDEN  SERIES 

PEONIES  IN  THE 
LITTLE  GARDEN 

BY 

MRS.  EDWARD  HARDING 

General  Editor 
MRS.  FRANCIS  KING 


With  Ilkistrations 


THE  ATLANTIC  MONTHLY  PRESS 
BOSTON 


COPYRIGHT    1923   BY   ALICE   HARDING 


PRINTED  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA 


EDITOR'S  PREFACE 

The  rapidly  growing  fame  of  the  modern  peony  is  stimulating  great 
interest  among  gardeners.  Shows  exclusively  devoted  to  the  peony  are 
being  held  with  frequency  in  many  places,  and  nurserymen  are  offering 
much  longer  lists  than  formerly.  This  increasing  interest  brings  in  its 
train  a  spirited  demand  for  information  regarding  the  peony  —  its  cor- 
rect cultivation  and  the  special  qualities  of  different  varieties.  Here  is  a 
glorious  flower  fitted  for  widespread  planting.  The  peony  in  the  farm 
dooryard,  the  peony  in  the  tiny  garden  of  a  house  in  a  little  town  ■ —  how 
steadily  it  grows !  How  surely  it  opens  its  sumptuous  flowers  in  spots 
to  which  —  too  often  —  it  and  it  alone  gives  interest  and  beauty  ! 

When  Mrs.  Edward  Harding's  brilliant  work,  The  Book  of  the  Peony, 
appeared  six  years  ago,  it  not  only  was  the  first  book  on  the  subject,  but 
it  created  a  great  interest  in  a  flower  previously  little  known  in  litera- 
ture and  far  too  little  known  to  the  average  gardener.  The  peony  has 
been  Mrs.  Harding's  great  enthusiasm  for  years.  This  pleasure  she  has 
endeavored  to  put  into  the  lives  of  other  gardeners  who  may  not  yet 
have  tasted  it.  I  remember  writing  to  the  author  of  that  book,  then  a 
stranger  to  me,  of  the  delightful  and  stimulating  qualitj^  of  her  pages.  I 
know  well  that  thousands  of  gardeners  will  get  from  this,  Mrs.  Hard- 
ing's latest  book,  not  only  the  information  they  need  concerning  the 
peony,  but  such  inspiration  as  will  bring  the  peony  into  numbers  of 
borders  where  hitherto  it  has  been  unknown.  Mrs.  Harding's  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  peony  from  long  growing  and  observation  in  her  own 
garden,  her  critical  taste,  and  her  fine  and  lively  style  of  writing,  will 
give  the  owners  of  this  book  not  only  the  best  possible  guide  in  peonies 
for  their  own  gardens,  but  a  capital  addition  to  their  garden  libraries. 
With  this  book  any  one  can  order  roots  judiciously,  plant  intelligently, 
compare,  collect,  cut,  show,  and  —  best  of  all  —  enjoy  the  peony  to  the 
utmost. 

I  must  stress  the  fact  that  Mrs.  Harding  writes  out  of  an  experience 
of  years,  not  only  with  peonies,  but  with  other  flowers  —  among  them 
irises,  lilacs,  and  lilies.  Her  garden  contains  the  choicest  varieties  of  all 
of  these.  From  her  peony  collection  others  in  various  parts  of  the  world 
have  been  enlarged  and  their  owners  have  been  stimulated  by  that  de- 
lightful sharing  which  brings  happiness  to  giver  and  receiver.  Collec- 
tions of  peony  roots  have  gone  from  Mrs.  Harding's  garden  to  the  Bronx 
Botanical  Gardens,  New  York  City;  to  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society, 


f^R.n(^2 


vi  EDITOR'S  PREFACE 

Wisley,  England;  to  Botanical  Gardens  in  Melbourne  and  Adelaide, 
Australia,  in  New  Zealand,  and  in  the  Republic  of  Colombia.  One  of  her 
ideas,  in  giving  roots  to  foreign  countries,  is  that  experiments  may  be 
made  in  places  where  the  peony  is  seldom  cultivated  or  has  not  yet  been 
tried.  In  some  of  these  experiments  the  Botanical  Gardens  are  essaying 
to  succeed  through  the  altitude,  where  latitude  would  of  itself  forbid. 

Mrs.  Harding  has  given  prizes  in  the  United  States  and  m  France  — 
among  prizes  for  other  flowers  —  for  the  peony,  and  has  given  three 
cups  to  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society,  England,  for  the  best  peonies 
to  be  exhibited  m  1924,  1925,  and  192C,  respectively.  Resisting  the 
temptation  to  show  her  own  fine  flowers,  —  for  Mrs.  Harding  does  not 
exhibit,  — -she  thus  prefers  to  provide  awards  for  others  to  take.  Numer- 
ous talks  to  garden  clubs  have  been  among  her  activities.  She  is  con- 
tinually engaged  in  making  a  collection  of  the  rarest  and  best  varieties 
of  peonies,  maintaining  and  propagating  them  in  her  own  garden.  A 
natural  result  of  this  devotion  to  the  peony  is  that  M.  Lemoine  has 
named  for  Mrs.  Harding  both  a  peony  and  one  of  his  famous  lilacs.  As  a 
further  recognition  of  her  work  and  of  her  interest  in  horticulture  in 
France,  an  honorary  membership  in  the  Societe  Centrale  d'Horticulture 
de  Nancy  has  been  conferred  upon  her. 

The  entire  frankness  of  Mrs.  Harding's  comments  on  all  peonies  de- 
scribed in  this  book  is  a  welcome,  a  refreshing  thing.  Here  we  have  the 
truth  about  the  peony  as  an  experienced,  acute,  and  discriminating 
amateur  sees  it.  A  degree  of  courage  is  required  for  the  setting  down  of 
adverse  opinions  concerning  certain  varieties;  but  Mrs.  Harding's  ver- 
dict will  be  of  very  great  value  to  those  putting  money  into  the  more 
expensive  kinds  of  this  flower. 

I  congratulate  readers  of  this  book  on  the  possession  of  the  best  and 
clearest  popular  guide  yet  written  on  the  peony :  a  book  founded  on  fine 
experience,  edged  by  a  delightful  critical  taste,  uncolored  by  any  per- 
sonal leanings,  entirely  dispassionate  in  comparisons,  readable  and 
practical  on  every  page. 

Louisa  Yeomans  King. 


FOREWORD 

Of  the  eighteen  or  more  species  of  peonies,  only  a  few  are  commonly 
found  in  gardens.  The  three  showiest  species,  Pseonia  officinalis,  P.  suf- 
fruticosa  (the  Moutan  or  tree  peony),  and  P.  albiflora  (P.  sinensis)  are 
the  ones  most  largely  employed. 

Years  ago,  before  the  development  of  P.  albiflora  had  reached  its 
present  degree  of  perfection,  P.  officinalis  was  the  herbaceous  peony 
oftenest  planted.  P.  officinalis  and  its  small  number  of  varieties  are  still 
popular.  They  have  a  definite  place  and  value,  particularly  in  the  mat- 
tet  of  lengthening  the  season  of  peony  bloom.  Nevertheless,  P.  offi- 
cinalis cannot  compare  with  P.  albiflora  in  importance  as  a  garden  sub- 
ject, either  as  to  its  variety  or  its  gorgeous  appearance. 

The  tree  peony  or  P.  moutan  (P.  suffruticosa)  is  a  woody  species  of 
great  beauty  and  desirability.  But  it  has  not  been  treated  in  this  book 
for  several  reasons.  In  the  first  place,  plants  of  P.  moutan  are  scarce 
and  difficult  to  secure.  Secondly,  they  are  expensive.  Thirdly,  their 
season  of  bloom  is  so  much  shorter  than  that  of  the  selected  and  com- 
bined varieties  of  P.  albiflora  that  for  use  in  the  average  little  garden 
they  are  not  as  practical.  Fourthly,  they  require  somewhat  greater  care 
and  are  harder  to  increase.  They  are  perhaps  more  appropriately  placed 
in  the  garden  containing  a  collection  of  peonies,  or  in  a  large  garden 
where  there  is  room  and  to  spare. 

Hybrids  and  half -hybrids  of  these  species,  including  Lemoine's  felic- 
itous Wittmaniana  hybrids  (P.  albiflora  x  P.  Wittmaniana)  and  the 
amazing  yellow-flowered  tree-peonies  (P.  lutea  x  P.  suffruticosa)  origi- 
nated by  Lemoine  and  by  Professor  Henry,  are  most  ornamental.  But 
they  are  so  new,  scarce,  and  high-priced  that  their  general  purchase  is 
precluded. 

The  less  spectacular  species,  with  the  exception  of  the  dainty  P.  tenui- 
folia,  are  not  often  grown  save  in  botanical  gardens  and  by  collectors. 

In  this  book  I  have  considered  only  P.  albiflora,  or,  as  it  is  commonly 
called,  the  Chinese  peony  (P.  sinensis).  Among  the  several  species  it 
is  the  one  generally  meant  to-day  when  speaking  of  peonies  for  the  gar- 
den. This  species,  in  its  conspicuous  beauty,  ease  of  handling,  and  large 
variety  corresponds  to  that  section  of  the  iris  known  as  the  tall-bearded. 
It  is  the  ideal  species  for  growing  in  the  little  garden,  where  space  and 
sometimes  expense  are  to  be  considered. 

The  peony  is  preeminently  a  cold-climate  flower.  It  reaches  its  high- 


viii  FOREWORD 

est  perfection  in  northern  countries.  In  the  United  States  it  succeeds 
best  north  of  the  fortieth  parallel :  which  is  —  roughly  —  about  the 
location  of  Washington,  D.  C.  South  of  that  line  some  difficulties  at- 
tend the  cultivation  of  the  peony.  The  lighter  soils  of  the  South  are  not 
so  congenial  to  it,  nor  does  it  accept  gracefully  the  greater  heat.  When 
it  is  desired  to  grow  the  peony  in  the  far  South,  individual  conditions 
must  be  evolved  if  the  plants  arc  to  prosper.  These  conditions  include: 
the  selection  of  early-flowering  and  robust  varieties,  special  points  in 
transplanting,  and  careful  study  of  the  composition  of  the  soil. 

North  of  the  fortieth  parallel,  the  cultivation  of  the  peony  is  a  far 
less  trying  affair.  The  cultural  information  given  in  this  book  is  gener- 
ally applicable  throughout  the  United  States  and  Canada.  There  will 
be  found  in  this  widespread  area  local  circumstances  to  which  certain 
varieties  of  peonies  object.  For  instance,  a  few  of  the  new  peonies  of 
Western  origination  have  so  far  shown  a  disinclination  to  adapt  them- 
selves to  our  Eastern  gardens.  This  is  not  to  say,  however,  that  they 
may  not  reconsider  and  settle  down  contentedly  later  on. 

Meanwhile,  with  a  large  amount  of  experience  back  of  us,  none  need 
hesitate  to  plant  this  wondrous  flower.  For  though  some  knowledge 
is  necessary  for  encouragement,  yet  if  all  gardening  were  an  old  story 
to  us,  half  of  the  thrill  and  all  of  the  surprise  would  be  gone.  Something 
must  be  left  for  each  one  to  learn  for  himself.  One  could  not  have  a 
more  companionable  flower  than  the  peony  with  which  to  work  and  to 
play. 

My  lively  appreciation  is  due  to  Horace  Brown,  Esquire,  for  his  mas- 
terly drawings  of  roots,  divisions,  and  seed-pods. 

Alice  Harding. 

Burnley  Farm 
July  11,1923 


CONTENTS 


I    The  Little  Garden  and  the  Peony 3 

II  Selection  of  Varieties  and  Special  Lists        ...  8 

III  A  Few  of  the  Newer  American  Varieties       ...  24 

IV  Some  of  the  Newer  French  and  English  Varieties     .  36 
V    Location  and  Soil 50 

VI  Planting,  Cultivating,  and  Fertilizing  ....  57 

VII    Root-Division  and  Seedlings 65 

VIII  Why  Some  Peonies  Do  Not  Bloom          ....  81 

IX    Diseases  of  Peonies 86 

Bibliography 95 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

A  Planting  of  Peonies  at  Burnley  Farm  Frontispiece 

The  Little  Garden  AT  Vauvillers:  March  1919        ...  4 
Festiva  Maxima  (Miellez,  1851)        .        .        .        .        .        .        .12 

Unnamed  Pink  Japanese  Peony  of  Great  Beauty     ...  18 

Walter  Faxon  (Richardson) 32 

Primevere  (Lemoine,  1907) 40 

La  Fee  (Lemoine,  1906) 44 

Lady  Alexandra  Duff  (Kelway,  1902) 48 

Good  Method  of  Dividing  Four-year-old  Root           ...  68 

Good  and  Bad  Divisions  of  Roots 72 

Perfect  Seed-pod  of  Madame  Calot             78 

Baby  Root  Two  Years  from  Seed 79 


The  tailpieces  used  in  this  volume  are  reproductions  of  drawings  of 
peonies  taken  from  the  following  old  herbals:  —  Dorsten,  Botanicon,  1540 
(p.  7)  ;  Delechamps,  Hisfoire  drs  Planfes,  Lyon,  1587  (p.  23)  ;  Herbelario, 
Venice,  1540  (p.  35)  ;  Dodoens,  1616  (p.  49)  ;  the  Dioscorides  of  Matthioli, 
Venice,  1559  (p.  85)  ;  New  Herbal  of  Durantes,  1785  (pp.  91  and  95). 


PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 


PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE 
GARDEN 

I 

THE  LITTLE  GARDEN  AND  THE  PEONY 

Dear  to  the  heart  of  man  is  the  intimate  in  his  surroundings. 
The  Httle  garden  offers  opportunities  for  affectionate  understand- 
ing between  the  gardener  and  his  work,  not  always  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  owner  of  a  large  estate.  In  such  places  the  numer- 
ous necessary  retainers  seem  to  stand  in  the  way,  be  they  ever 
so  kindly  and  self-effacing.  For  to  plan,  to  contrive,  to  work  in 
one's  own  garden,  is,  after  all,  the  greatest  part  of  one's  joy  in  it. 

It  is  winter  as  I  write  these  words,  but  my  mind  flies  forward 
to  the  spring,  to  those  joyous  days  when  I  shall  labor  again  in  my 
garden  with  head  and  heart  and  hands.  Then  every  thought  and 
every  effort  shall  be  trained  upon  the  task  of  the  moment.  But 
through  my  wotk  shall  pierce  my  enchanted  senses :  the  sweet- 
smelling  earth,  the  fragrant  breeze,  the  exulting  sunlight,  will  all 
insist  upon  an  occasional  pause  that  I  may  revel  in  a  sheer  surge 
of  joy.  The  droll  singing  of  a  young  robin  whose  changing  voice 
is  lifted  in  the  apple  tree  will  compel  a  space  of  rest  for  delighted 
laughter.  Then  to  the  full  may  I  taste  that  "spiritual  gusto 
which  lends  a  savor  to  the  meanest  act  of  living,"  as  Lytton 
Strachey  has  so  keenly  phrased  it. 

Yes  —  it  is  good  to  have  a  garden,  and  it  is  better  still  to  work 
in  it. 

No  garden  can  really  be  too  small  to  hold  a  peony.   Had  I  but 

LiWrary 


4  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

four  square  feet  of  ground  at  my  disposal,  I  would  plant  a  peony 
in  the  centre  and  proceed  to  worship. 

Happily  there  are  few  gardens  of  such  restricted  area,  and  the 
opportunities  to  possess  this  lovable  flower  are  greater  than 
would  appear  at  first  glance.  By  a  "little  garden"  I  mean  one 
ranging  in  size  from  fifty  by  one  hundred  feet  to  one  or  two  acres. 
Notes  and  articles  upon  the  peony  which  appear  from  time  to 
time  in  catalogues  and  magazines  deal  frequently  with  large 
collections.  Owniers  of  small  gardens  are  often  fearful  of  having 
insuflBcient  room  for  this  stately  subject.  I  think  that  they  do  not 
realize  how  much  pleasure  comes  from  the  possession  of  even 
half  a  dozen  plants,  or  three,  or  two  —  or  just  one. 

One  of  the  most  amazingly  interesting  little  gardens  which  I 
have  ever  seen  was  literally  eight  by  eight  feet.  It  was  the  tiny 
front-door  plot  before  a  cottage  in  Shottery.  We  were  walking 
back  toward  Stratford  on  Avon  after  a  visit  to  Anne  Hathaway's 
cottage.  The  yellow  blooms  of  St.  John's-wort  caught  my  atten- 
tion, and  I  stopped  to  examine  the  handkerchief  of  ground  where- 
in it  grew.  The  healthy  striking  foliage  of  tall  bearded  iris  was 
plentiful,  and  in  a  corner  there  was  a  peony,  —  only  one,  —  an 
officinalis,  probably  rubra  plena,  though  the  bloom  had  passed. 
It  was  a  large  plant  and  had  surely  cheered  its  owner  for  years. 

The  peony  in  another  tiny  garden  —  or,  to  be  more  exact,  the 
wreck  of  one  —  comes  to  my  mind. 

In  March  of  1919  I  had  a  wonderful  opportunity  to  see  the 
battle-fronts  of  Europe  from  Nancy  to  Ostend.  A  sadder,  more 
appalling  vision  of  destruction  never  was.  Town  after  town  was 
leveled  to  heaps  of  brick  and  dust ;  tree  after  tree  was  deliber- 
ately sawed  off  and  left  to  rot.  The  grapevines  were  pulled  up, 
the  fruit  trees  girdled,  the  land  itself  so  shattered  and  upheaved 
that  the  gardener's  first  query  was  whether  it  could  again  bear 
crops  before  the  lapse  of  many  years. 


THE  LITTLE  GARDEN  AND  THE  PEONY         5 

We  had  left  Amiens  one  Sunday  morning,  and  passing  Villers- 
Bretoneaux  —  where  the  AustraUan  troops  and  some  Ameri- 
can engineers  had  made  the  stand  that  saved  Amiens  and  the 
Western  Hne  —  had  gone  through  Hamelet,  Hamel,  Bayonvil- 
lers,  Harbonnieres,  and  Crepy  Wood  to  Vauvillers.  As  the  only 
woman  in  the  party,  I  had  been  unanimously  appointed  in 
charge  of  the  commissariat.  It  was  noon  when  we  reached  Vau- 
villers. I  chose  a  broken  wall  about  fifty  feet  from  the  road  as 
a  good  place  on  which  to  spread  our  luncheon.  The  car  was 
stopped,  the  luncheon  things  were  unpacked,  and  we  picked  our 
way  over  the  mangled  ground  to  the  fragment  of  wall.  As  I 
passed  around  the  end  I  came  upon  two  peony  plants  pushing 
through  the  earth.  Tears  brimmed.  I  could  not  control  them. 
Here  had  been  a  home  and  a  cherished  garden.  As  I  stood  gazing 
at  the  little  red  spears  just  breaking  tlirough  the  ground,  a  voice, 
apparently  from  the  sky,  inquired  whether  Madame  would  like 
a  chair.  Looking  along  the  wall  I  saw  the  head  of  an  old  peasant 
woman  thrust  through  a  tiny  opening.  She  smiled  and  with- 
drew, appearing  a  moment  later  with  a  chair.  It  was  her  only 
chair.  She  then  brought  forth  her  only  cup  and  saucer,  her  only 
pitcher  filled  with  milk,  and  offered  us  her  only  hospitality  ! 

Joined  now  by  her  venerable  husband,  we  listened  to  their 
story.  The  hiding  of  their  few  treasures,  the  burial  of  their  bit 
of  linen,  their  flight  toward  Paris,  the  description  of  the  outra- 
geous condition  of  the  one  room  left  for  them  to  return  to,  made 
us  burn  with  indignation.  It  was  in  her  little  garden  that  the 
peonies  grew.  The  fruit  trees  and  shrubs  were  gone,  the  neat 
garden  walks  were  blasted  into  space,  the  many  precious  flowers 
were  utterly  destroyed.  When  she  found  that  Madame,  too, 
loved  les  belles  pivoines,  she  urged  me  to  take  one  of  the  only 
two  roots  she  had  left ! 

We  went  away  leaving  the  old  couple  laden  with  supplies,  and 


6  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

I  gathered  from  every  man  in  our  party  a  heavy  toll  of  tobacco 
for  a  farewell  gift  of  comfort.  I  hope  she  has  again  a  little  garden, 
with  all  the  peonies  that  it  will  hold. 

The  sight  of  a  peony  has  an  inescapable  lure  for  me.  Quite  un- 
consciously I  pause  on  my  way,  and  hang  over  any  garden  fence 
that  encloses  one.  I  suppose  that  if  the  fences  were  of  high 
boards,  still  I  should  try  to  glimpse  the  peonies  within,  and  seek- 
ing a  convenient  knot-hole,  perhaps  ruin  my  more  or  less  perfect 
profile  by  pressing  close  to  see ! 

In  a  little  garden  of  half  an  acre  or  less  were  originated  a  few 
of  the  finest  peonies  of  to-day.  I  refer  to  the  garden  of  John 
Richardson  in  Dorchester,  Massachusetts.  That  garden,  so 
small  but  now  so  famous,  was  the  expression  of  good  taste. 
Richardson  insisted  on  having  the  finest  variety  of  every  kind  of 
plant  he  grew.  Inferior  things  he  rigorously  discarded.  The  list 
of  hardy  perennials  which  had  his  love  and  care  cannot  in  many 
instances  be  improved  to-day.  He  applied  a  high  standard  of 
selection  to  the  peonies  which  he  produced  from  seeds.  The  in- 
fluence of  that  little  garden  is  beyond  computation.  Very 
clearly  has  it  set  an  ideal  toward  which  all  other  little  gardens 
may  well  strive. 

In  the  fall  of  1922,  Winnipeg,  Canada,  made  a  concerted  ef- 
fort to  beautify  the  city.  It  adopted  the  peony  as  its  civic  flower, 
and  started  a  campaign  to  plant  a  peony  in  every  garden  and 
yard.  Professor  Broderick  writes  me  that  the  effort  met  with 
splendid  success,  and  that  thousands  of  roots  were  planted.  No 
bit  of  land  was  too  insignificant  to  do  its  share  toward  the  per- 
manent embellishment  of  the  town. 

These  are  but  a  few  examples  of  the  fitness  of  planting  some- 
thing long-lived  in  every  little  garden. 

The  peony  is  appearing  more  often,  not  only  in  our  gardens, 
but  in  books.  I  have  read  lately  of  several  heroines  whose  cheeks 


THE  LITTLE  GARDEN  AND  THE  PEONY         7 

"mantled"  or  "blushed"  or  "burned"  like  a  peony.  It  always 
used  to  be  like  a  rose.  When  a  flower  once  enters  into  the  litera- 
ture of  a  people,  it  may  be  safely  held  to  be  a  part  of  that  nation. 
The  fleur-de-lis,  the  rose,  the  thistle,  the  acacia  have  become 
national  symbols.  In  a  time  not  far  away  perhaps  the  peony  will 
connote  America,  with  a  plant  in  every  garden,  big  and  little, 
and  a  place  in  every  heart. 


n 

SELECTION  OF  VARIETIES  AND  SPECIAL  LISTS 

Even  before  he  prepares  the  ground,  the  prospective  buyer  of 
peonies  wishes  to  know  what  to  select.  The  uses  to  which  he  will 
put  his  plants,  the  number  his  available  space  will  hold,  the 
amount  of  money  which  he  is  willing  to  spend  on  roots,  are  all 
matters  to  be  considered.  ^Vllether  he  desire  peonies  for  cut 
flowers,  for  garden-  or  landscape-effect,  or  for  the  increase  of 
roots  to  sell  or  exchange,  whether  he  shall  buy  good  standard 
roots  at  low  prices  or  the  latest  novelties  at  higher  prices,  are 
points  to  be  well  thought-out  in  advance. 

As  will  be  seen  in  the  little  lists  which  are  given  in  this  chapter, 
a  small  expenditure  of  money  may  provide  an  estimable  collec- 
tion. Since  peonies  range  in  price  from  fifty  cents  to  fifty  dollars 
or  more  apiece,  upon  the  wise  choice  of  the  right  peonies  for  his 
purpose  depends  the  garden-owner's  degree  of  pleasure  in  their 
possession. 

The  collection  and  comparison  of  catalogues  issued  by  growers 
who  specialize  in  peonies  will  give  the  beginner  a  fairly  compre- 
hensive idea  of  the  best  available  material.  It  is  the  day  of  good 
catalogues.  Well-printed  and  well-illustrated  booklets  on  bulbs, 
irises,  dahlias,  roses,  and  peonies  are  being  issued  by  specialists. 
Most  of  them  are  convenient  to  use;  a  few  of  them  are  things 
of  beauty ;  and  all  of  them  contain  much  information. 

This  information  varies  a  good  deal.  Some  of  it  is  admirable. 
Some  of  it  is  far  from  good.  Out  of  six  catalogues,  chosen  at  ran- 
dom from  the  many  which  have  come  to  me  this  winter  (1922- 
23),  three  give  the  dangerous  advice  to  mulch  peonies  with 


VARIETIES  AND  SPECIAL  LISTS  9 

manure.  In  a  catalogue  which  is  issued  by  a  house  making  a 
specialty  of  peonies,  the  gardener  is  told  to  mulch  with  three  or 
four  inches  of  coarse  manure  after  planting.  He  is  further  in- 
structed to  cut  off  the  foliage  in  the  fall,  to  throw  it  back  upon 
the  beds,  and  to  supplement  that  protection  with  another  dress- 
ing of  manure.  Shade  of  Doctor  Paeon  !  What  a  prescription ! 
The  information  as  to  the  depth  at  which  peonies  should  be 
planted  is  also  in  many  cases  extraordinary.  Without  mention 
of  differences  in  soils,  the  amateur  is  told  to  plant  his  peonies 
four  inches  deep,  or  three  or  two  inches  deep,  or  even  barely  to 
cover  the  crown  with  earth. 

Chapter  vi,  on  Planting,  Cultivating,  and  Fertilizing,  will  give 
the  cautious  reader  better  information  on  these  points.  Refer- 
ence is  made  to  them  here  merely  to  show  that  unquestioning 
reliance  upon  all  parts  of  all  catalogues  is  not  wise. 

With  the  ratings  of  excellence  now  given  in  many  catalogues  I 
do  not  always  agree.  In  my  opinion  the  averages  have  too  often 
been  made  upon  too  small  a  number  of  votes.  The  appraisement 
of  a  peony  is  partly  a  matter  of  taste  and  partly  a  matter  of 
experience.  It  depends  somewhat  upon  the  adaptability  of  the 
variety  mentioned  to  the  part  of  the  country  in  which  it  is 
grown. 

The  descriptions  of  the  flowers,  however,  are  —  as  a  rule  — 
good.  In  a  few  catalogues  they  are  full  and  carefully  exact. 
While  perfection  is  not  for  this  world,  and  while  the  opinions  of 
the  expert  professionals  and  the  expert  amateurs  may  not  al- 
ways agree,  the  fact  remains  that  these  booklets  are  a  great  help 
to  the  beginner,  and  a  convenient  form  of  reference  for  the  more 
experienced.   The  houses  putting  them  out  are  entitled  to  praise. 

From  those  catalogues  that  have  unusually  full  descriptions 
the  beginner  should  make  his  lists.  He  should  ponder  upon  them, 
alter  them,  discard  them,  and  then  start  anew. 


10  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

The  making  of  lists  is  a  gardening-exercise  in  which  there  is 
ever  fresh  interest,  mingled  with  excellent  mental  training.  The 
alluring  descriptions  are  studied,  the  arguments  for  and  against 
each  peony  examined,  and  a  final  decision  is  given.  One  cannot 
begin  too  early  to  acquire  the  list-making  habit.  Once  acquired, 
it  gives  endless  pleasure  and  profit.  Each  year  the  observant 
gardener's  horticultural  education  broadens,  the  peonies  more 
clearly  exhibit  their  characteristics,  and  garden  needs  vary. 
With  all  his  knowledge  and  experience,  even  M.  Lemoine,  after 
a  delightful  chat  upon  peonies  a  short  time  ago,  inquired  the 
names  of  my  favorite  six  and  made  a  note  thereon. 

So  we  could  go  on  almost  indefinitely  with  the  fascinating 
game  of  list-making.  After  a  while  one  begins  unconsciously  to 
check  up  garden-friends  according  to  their  likes  and  dislikes  in 
the  peony  world.  Has  not  the  same  taste  in  wall  paper  often 
afforded  the  basis  of  a  lasting  friendship  ?  And  shall  we  not  find 
enthusiasm  for  certain  flowers  a  subtle  exposition  of  taste  and 
character  ? 

In  the  case  of  a  large  number  of  varieties,  there  is  only  uni- 
versal accord.  Among  the  connoisseurs,  Le  Cygne  and  Festiva 
Maxima  are  conspicuous  examples  of  this.  On  the  other  hand, 
there  is  diversity  of  thought  in  regard  to  the  ranking  of  some  ad- 
mittedly fine  peonies  —  Therese,  James  Kelway  —  and  absolute 
disagreement  as  to  the  value  of  certain  of  the  recent  introduc- 
tions, such  as  Jubilee  and  Elizabeth  Barrett  Browning. 

The  alert  reader  will  probably  wish  to  know  the  peonies  which 
I,  as  a  devoted  collector  and  practical  gardener,  consider  best 
for  certain  purposes. 

In  my  estimation,  the  characteristics  which  a  peony  bloom 
should  possess  are  well  set  forth  in  the  points  for  judging  used  at 


VARIETIES  AND  SPECIAL  LISTS  11 

shows. ^  But  there  are  some  faults  so  serious  from  the  standpoint 
of  practical  gardening  that  they  outweigh  the  good  points  of  an 
individual  flower.  Shy  blooming  and  weak  stems  are  among 
them. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  scale  of  points  omits  —  perhaps  neces- 
sarily —  general  habits  of  growth,  such  as  erectness  of  bearing, 
floriferousness,  and  rapidity  of  increase.  These  qualities  cannot 
appear  on  the  show-bench,  and  in  the  case  of  scarce  and  rare 
varieties,  examples  are  often  not  easily  available  for  judging  in 
the  field  in  conjunction  with  judging  at  shows.  The  prejudiced 
estimate  of  the  dealer  with  a  large  stock  to  sell,  or  the  fond  eye 
of  the  originator  easily  overlooks  these  shortcomings.  They  are 
seldom  mentioned  in  either  catalogues  or  garden-magazine  arti- 
cles. They  are  best  presented  by  one  who  is  not  in  the  business, 
and  who  is  not  launching  any  originations.  The  temptation  to 
regard  one's  own  geese  as  swans  remains  universal. 

Here,  then,  are  a  number  of  short  lists  for  various  purposes, 
compiled  from  my  own  experience  in  growing  peonies  for  years. 
All  of  the  peonies  in  the  lists  are  of  value.  Even  with  the  rap- 
idly increasing  number  of  new  varieties  which  are  offered  each 
season  to  the  collector,  it  will  be  a  long  time  before  those  enumer- 
ated are  surpassed  or  even  equaled.  If,  however,  after  growing 
any  of  these  varieties  long  enough  to  get  typical  blooms,  the 
mild-eyed  reader  finds  that  he  yearns  for  wider  experience  of  his 
very  own,  assuredly  let  him  indulge  his  yearning.  After  all,  one 

1  Scale  of  points  used  by  American  Peony  Society  in  judging:  — 

Color 25 

Form 15 

Size 15 

Distinctiveness 15 

Substance 10 

Stem 10 

Odor 10 

5  for  blooms  without  odor;  0  for  blooms  with  bad  odor 


12 


PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 


of  the  things  for  which  we  are  in  this  world  is  to  experience  ex- 
perience ! 

Meanwhile,  these  selections  will  truly  delight  his  heart,  beau- 
tify his  garden,  and  prove  to  be  no  mean  asset  in  the  gentle  art 
and  diversion  of  exchanging. 

Little  Lists  for  Little  Gardens 
inexpensive  varieties 


White 
Couronne  d'Or 
Duchesse  de  Nemours 
Festiva  Maxima 
Madame  Crousse 
Marie  Lemoine 
Monsieur  Dupont 


Yelloui-tinted 
Duke  of  Wellington 
Princess  Irene 
Solfatare 


Pink 
Madame  d'Hour 
Marguerite  Gerard 
Monsieur  Jules  Elii 
Octavie  Demay 
Souvenir  de 

I'Exposition  Universelle 
Triomphe  de 

I'Exposition  de  Lille 


Red 
Augustin  d'Hour 
Delachei 
Felix  Crousse 
Pierre  Dessert 


Varicolored 
Alexander  Dumas 
Gloire  de  Charles  Gombault 
Jeanne  d'Arc 
Philomele 


With  the  exception  of  Marguerite  Gerard,  none  of  the  peonies 
in  the  foregoing  lists  costs  more  than  a  dollar.  Duchesse  de 
Nemours,  which  is  among  the  finest  and  most  fragrant  peonies, 
may  be  bought  for  fifty  cents.  As  peonies  grow  well  when 
planted  three  or  four  feet  apart,  even  a  little  back-yard  can 
hold  a  few  of  these  showy  varieties.  If  one  selected  Duchesse 
de  Nemours,  costing  fifty  cents,  Triomphe  de  Lille,  a  fine  pink 
which  costs  only  seventy-five  cents,  and  Augustin  d'Hour,  a 
magnificent  large  red  bloom  also  costing  only  seventy-five  cents, 
one  would  have,  for  the  sum  of  two  dollars,  a  striking  display.  It 
seems  incredible  that  so  much  loveliness  can  be  obtained  for  so 
little  money. 

Festiva  Maxima  should  be  in  every  garden,  large  or  small,  lav- 


Festiva  Maxima  (Mielles,  1851 ) 


VARIETIES  AND  SPECIAL  LISTS  13 

ishly  arrayed  or  economically  furnished.  It  is  to  the  peony  world 
what  Pallida  Dalmatica  is  to  the  iris  world  —  the  standard- 
bearer  of  beauty,  the  foundation  and  beginning  of  all  collections, 
the  one  variety  that  absolutely  must  not  be  omitted.  Like  many 
other  good  things  in  life,  it  is  so  easily  within  our  reach  that  we 
sometimes  fail  to  appreciate  it.  After  a  test  of  seventy  years, 
Festiva  Maxima  remains  one  of  the  most  captivating  and  valu- 
able peonies  in  the  world.  If  it  were  a  scarce  or  new  variety, 
collectors  would  gladly  pay  any  price  to  secure  it.  I  could  name 
several  of  the  more  recent  peonies  selling  to-day  for  twenty-five 
or  fifty  dollars  apiece,  —  a  small  piece,  too !  —  which  in  my 
judgment  cannot  approach  Festiva  Maxima  for  real  value. 

Here  is  another  selection.  These  varieties  cost  between  one 
and  two  dollars  apiece. 

White  Pink  Red 

Avalanche  Albert  Crousse  Adolphe  Rousseau 

Baroness  Schroeder  Asa  Gray  Eugene  Bigot 

Madame  de  Verneville  Madame  Ducel  Madame  Bucquet 

Mme.  de  Verneville,  an  early  white  with  a  pink-tinted  centre, 
has  a  true  rose-odor.  Baroness  Schroeder  and  Avalanche  rank 
among  the  finest  whites.  Asa  Gray  and  Albert  Crousse  grace 
the  most  exclusive  collections.  The  other  varieties  are  standard 
and  desirable. 

The  peonies  in  the  short  lists  already  presented  are  but  a  few 
of  the  choice  varieties  available  at  a  low  price.  It  is  not  my  inten- 
tion to  give  a  complete  list :  that  falls  within  the  scope  of  a  cata- 
logue or  a  check-list.  But  there  are  a  few  more  to  which  special 
attention  should  be  directed  :  — 

La  Rosiere  is  a  bonny  peony  which  should  not  be  disbudded. 
Sprays  of  the  rather  small  rose-like  flowers  are  most  charming. 


14  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

Eugenie  Verdier  —  accredited  to  Calot  but  which  seems  to 
be  quite  unknown  in  France  —  is  an  exquisite  and  pleasing 
peony.  It  fills  a  place  among  the  early  varieties  similar  to  that 
held  among  the  late  ones  by  Richardson's  Grandiflora.  It  is  par- 
ticularly graceful  as  a  cut  flower,  for  its  pliant  stems  allow  lati- 
tude in  arrangement. 

Richardson's  Grandiflora  resembles  Eugenie  Verdier  in  color 
and  habit  of  growth.  Both  are  of  a  pale  shell-pi;ak  and  both  have 
long  flexible  stems,  which  should  be  but  partially  disbudded. 

Duke  of  Wellington  is  an  old  variety  which  is  too  often  passed 
over.  Its  sulphur-and-white  coloring  makes  it  desirable  as  one 
of  the  few  yellow-tinted  peonies.  On  a  well-established  plant 
it  produces  truly  handsome  flowers. 

Alfred  de  Musset  is  another  one  of  the  older  varieties  which 
does  not  meet  with  the  appreciation  which  is  its  due.  It  is 
a  large  white-and-flesh-colored  flower,  a  soft,  deUcate  combina- 
tion. 

Solfatare  deserves  a  special  note.  This  peony  and  Primevere 
—  which  is  much  more  expensive  —  are  the  two  yellowest  varie- 
ties yet  produced  in  herbaceous  peonies.  Solfatare  is  somewhat 
capricious  in  its  habits.  It  does  not  bloom  year  in  and  year  out 
with  the  dependable  steadiness  of  many  others.  It  is  prone 
to  bloom  unevenly  on  the  individual  plant.  Nevertheless,  it  is  a 
lovely  flower  and  important  because  of  its  fine  color.  I  see  that 
some  of  the  commercial  growers  consider  that  Solfatare  is  over- 
rated; but  as  long  as  Primevere  remains  at  six  dollars  a  root, 
and  Laura  Dessert  —  the  new  yellow  herbaceous  peony  —  costs 
ten  or  fifteen  dollars  a  root,  Solfatare  will  be  a  variety  which  may 
not  be  discarded  lightly. 

At  the  prices  asked  for  the  roots  in  the  above  lists,  the  littlest 
garden,  run  on  the  tiniest  budget,  might  easily  afford  any  or  all 
of  them  to  add  to  its  attractiveness. 


VARIETIES  AND  SPECIAL  LISTS  15 

Among  the  peonies  of  a  higher  price  there  is  a  brilliant  galaxy- 
waiting  to  tempt  the  discriminating.  The  owner  of  a  little  gar- 
den, with  room  but  for  a  comparatively  small  number,  can  make 
this  very  limitation  an  advantage.  Upon  ten  roots,  for  example, 
he  may  lavish  the  amount  he  would  spend  on  twenty  were  his 
garden  larger. 

In  the  selection  of  choice  peonies  for  small  plantings  great 
care  should  be  exercised,  so  that  the  gardener  may  have  in  his 
small  collection  variety  in  season  and  type  as  well  as  beauty. 

The  following  short  lists  have  been  prepared  with  this  in  mind. 
After  each  list  are  notes  about  those  varieties  which  are  marked 
with  a  star.  These  notes  are  on  points  which  are  not  always  men- 
tioned in  catalogues. 

Very  recent,  scarce,  and  expensive  peonies  are  considered  in 
Chapter  iv. 

A  CoLLEcnoN  OF  Ten  Choice  Peonies 

Avalanche  Mikado 

Festiva  Maxima  M.  Martin-Cahuzac 

Grandiflora  (Richardson)  *Moonbeam 

*Mme.  Emile  Lemoine  *Primevere 

*Marie  Crousse  Therese 

Mme.  Emile  Lemoine  ranks  among  the  very  highest.  As  the 
bloom  opens,  it  has  the  cream-and-blush  tinting  of  an  Oriental 
pearl,  both  exquisite  and  delicate.  The  plant  should  be  screened 
or  the  blooms  cut.  M.  Lemoine  told  me  that  the  flowers  of  this 
variety  are  not  very  large  in  his  garden.  I  have,  however,  often 
seen  them  of  good  size  in  this  country. 

Moonbeam  is  an  unusual  peony  which  is  difficult  to  describe. 
It  is  white,  with  pink-tinted  guards,  open,  and  very  flat.  Al- 
though double,  the  bloom  is  nearest  in  effect  to  a  single.  The 
twisted  carpelodes  and  the  occasional  small  barren  carpels  give 


16  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

a  quaint,  tufted  efifect.  The  flower  reminds  me  somewhat  of  a 
large  white  Platycodon.  I  think  that  when  its  distinction  is  more 
widely  realized  it  will  leap  into  great  favor. 

Primevere :  the  yellowest  of  the  herbaceous  peonies  is  also 
one  of  the  most  fragrant.  Striking  and  ornamental  in  the  garden, 
it  is  still  more  satisfying  as  a  cut  flower.  Then  its  color  is  safely 
guarded,  and  its  perfume  fully  enjoyed. 

Recently  a  new  yellow  peony,  Laura  Dessert,  has  been  intro- 
duced. After  careful  observation  of  these  two  varieties  in  my  gar- 
den, I  regard  Primevere  as  quite  as  good  as  —  if  not  better  than 
—  Laura  Dessert. 

Marie  Crousse  is  one  of  the  few  "pure"  pinks,  a  far  finer  color 
than  the  famed  Therese.  It  blooms  at  the  same  time  as 
Primevere  and  they  should  be  planted  next  one  another.  This 
telling  color-effect  is  one  of  Mrs.  King's  favorite  combinations. 

Another  Collection  of  Ten  Choice  Peonies 

Gismonda  Mine.  Auguste  Dessert 

*James  Kelway  Milton  Hill 

Karl  Rosenfield  Philomela 

La  Rosiere  Sarah  Bernhardt 

Marie  Lemoine  *Some-ga-noko 

James  Kelway  is  one  of  the  peonies  which  is  somewhat  over- 
looked in  the  onrush  of  new  seedlings  and  high-priced  vari- 
eties offered  to  the  peony -lover  to-day.  It  has  always  been  one 
of  my  favorites  ;  therefore  it  is  with  especial  attention  that  I  read 
a  little  leaflet  written  by  Mr.  W.  E.  Upjohn  of  Augusta,  Michi- 
gan, on  this  peony.  Referring  to  the  rather  low  rating  accorded 
to  James  Kelway  by  the  American  Peony  Society,  Mr.  Upjohn 
says :  — 

"  While  the  symposium  of  the  American  Peony  Association  has 
been  most  helpful  and  stimulating  in  interest,  even  for  those  who 
for  a  long  time  have  had  interest  in  peonies,  still  it  should  not  be 


VARIETIES  AND  SPECIAL  LISTS  17 

read  as  an  infallible  peony  Bible.  Many  qualifying  factors  make 
for  error.  Not  the  least  important  is  the  fact  that  the  vote  of  the 
man  or  woman  who  has  and  loves  a  few  specimens  is  equal  in  the 
symposium  to  that  of  the  man  of  experience  with  large  numbers, 
who  knows  his  plants  both  as  specimens  and  in  masses.  Again, 
it  may  be  that  the  man  of  larger  experience  underestimates  a 
specimen  because  it  is  his  habit  to  grow  for  divisions,  and  he 
chooses  a  light  soil  because  this  is  best  for  his  purpose.  Many 
peonies,  if  not  all,  wall  give  the  finest  bloom  in  a  clay  loam  top- 
soil  with  a  subsoil  of  clay.  Many  kinds,  including  James  Kel- 
way ,  —  a  most  vigorous  plant  and  a  gross  feeder,  —  give  a  disap- 
pointing bloom  in  soils  poor  in  clay. 

"This  probably  explains  why  some  people  have  given  so  low 
a  vote  in  the  symposium  for  James  Kelway  —  to  my  mind  one  of 
the  grandest  peonies  known.  It  has  grown  for  me  an  upstanding 
vigorous  stem  between  four  and  five  feet  in  height,  crowned  with 
a  group  of  five  or  six  flowers  of  most  enchanting  beauty.  It  has  a 
quality  of  petal  which  has  no  equal.  It  has  the  color  of  untouched 
white,  and  a  habit  of  remaining  only  half  open  for  a  long  time, 
when  cut  In  the  bud  and  kept  from  direct  sunlight. 

"It  may  be  that  among  the  many  new  introductions,  each  with 
its  particular  champion,  we  are  overlooking  some  of  the  older 
varieties  of  equal  merit.  I  am  standing  as  a  champion  of  a  peony, 
James  Kelway,  in  which  I  have  no  interest  other  than  my  love 
for  this  attractive  bloom.  To  my  mind  it  has  been  given  too 
little  prominence." 

I  agree  with  what  Mr.  Upjohn  has  said  in  this  leaflet  in  favor 
of  James  Kelway.  I  also  think  that  his  point  in  the  matter  of 
rating  peonies  in  the  symposium  referred  to  is  well  taken. 

Some-ga-noko,  a  handsome  crimson  "Jap,"  is  compelling. 
Although  the  demand  for  singles  and  Japs  is  spreading  rapid- 
ly, the  number  of  eligible  varieties  is  somewhat  limited.  The 


18  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

Japanese  type  of  peony  is  most  acceptable  for  garden  effect. 
These  peonies  are  usually  less  delicate  in  color  than  the  rare 
new  ones  of  rose  type,  and  as  their  petals  are  not  so  many  or  so 
large,  they  hold  themselves  erect  more  easily. 

This  reference  to  the  small  number  of  excellent  Japanese  vari- 
eties reminds  me  that  I  have  in  my  collection  one  of  such  exceed- 
ing brilliancy  that  my  guests  never  fail  to  see  it  a  long  way  off, 
and  to  rave  over  it  in  detail  when  at  last  they  reach  it.  It  is  a 
large  flower.  The  petals  and  part  of  the  filaments  are  the  vivid 
color  of  dead-ripe  currants,  an  exceptional  shade.  The  broad- 
ened anthers  and  the  edges  of  the  filaments  are  bright  yellow. 
The  effect  is  enrapturing.  But  this  charmer  has  no  name.  The 
label  must  have  been  lost  during  the  journey  from  Japan.  I  have 
tried  in  vain  to  identify  it,  or  to  find  a  similar  plant  where  the 
name  was  known.  Perhaps  someone  who  reads  these  lines  can 
help  me. 

A  Third  Selection  of  Ten  Choice  Peonies 

*Alpheus  Hyatt  M.  Dupont 

Baroness  Schroeder  Moonbeam 

*Gismonda  Primevere 

Grover  Cleveland  Reine  Hortense 

King  of  England  *Suzette 

Alpheus  Hyatt  is  one  of  John  Richardson's  fine  seedlings. 
Less  well  known  than  Walter  Faxon,  Milton  Hill,  and  Grandi- 
flora,  it  is  beginning  to  receive  the  appreciation  which  it  de- 
serves. Four  years  ago  I  bought  it  for  one  dollar  a  root.  To-day 
I  note  that  it  is  listed  by  some  dealers  at  five  dollars.  Its  soft 
rose-pink  color  is  unusually  lasting,  even  when  unscreened  in  the 
garden.  The  flower  is  large,  double,  and  flat.  It  equals  —  and  in 
the  opinion  of  many  it  surpasses  —  Elwood  Pleas,  a  recently  in- 
troduced variety  which  is  much  more  expensive. 

Gismonda  is  another  fine  peony  which  has  been  left  too  long 


Unnamed  pink  Japanese  peony  of  g-reat  beauty 


VARIETIES  AND  SPECIAL  LISTS  19 

in  the  background.  The  petals  are  of  great  substance  and  the 
extremely  fragrant  flower  lasts  well  when  cut.  The  coloring  is 
most  attractive.  The  upper  part  of  this  globular  peony  is  deep 
flesh-pink.  The  lower  half  is  flushed  pale  rose.  The  line  of  divi- 
sion between  the  two  colorings  is  so  distinct  in  some  seasons  that 
each  bloom  seems  to  be  composed  of  two  flowers. 

Suzette :  this  is  a  stunning  garden-subject.  The  plant  is  cov- 
ered with  brilliant  rose-pink  flowers  of  striking  individuality  of 
form.  It  has  an  eager  air  of  gayety  and  liveliness  that  is  particu- 
larly endearing. 

The  lists  I  have  given  above  contain  but  a  few  of  the  many  ex- 
quisite peonies  which  are  at  the  command  of  the  discriminating 
gardener.  These  varieties  have  been  selected  with  the  aim  of  giv- 
ing in  each  list  diversity  in  types,  colorings,  and  seasons,  com- 
bined with  reasonable  expenditure.  At  the  same  time,  any  one 
of  these  lists  may  be  confidently  used  as  the  delightful  beginning 
of  a  collection. 

In  the  thoughts  of  many  people  the  peony  is  associated  either 
with  unpleasant  odor  or  total  lack  of  odor.  A  number  of  the  old- 
est varieties,  particularly  the  red  ones,  do  have  an  unpleasant 
soapy  smell.  But  the  modern  peonies  have  acquired  fragrance  as 
well  as  increased  beauty.  The  further  away  from  the  single  in 
type,  the  greater  the  likelihood  of  fragrance,  particularly  among 
the  pinks  and  pale-colored  peonies.  In  the  process  of  doubling, 
the  red  varieties  have  in  many  cases  lost  their  unpleasant  odor, 
while  one  of  the  new  and  expensive  reds,  Philippe  Rivoire,  is  posi- 
tively sweet-smelling  —  an  unusual  departure  for  a  red. 

The  perception  of  odor  is  an  individual  affair.  Different  noses 
have  different  standards  and  degrees  of  efficiency.  The  peonies 
in  the  list  below  appeal  to  me  personally  and  I  venture  to  suggest 
them,  feeling  sure  that  there  must  be  hosts  of  flower-loving 
noses  as  nicely  perceptive  as  mine ! 


20  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

Here,  then,  is  a  short  list  of  peonies  selected  for  their  perfume. 
There  are  many  more ;  but  these  are  in  my  opinion  valuable  not 
only  for  their  fragrance,  but  for  their  desirability  in  other  ways. 

A  Short  List  of  Fragrant  Peonies 

Albert  Crousse  La  Fee 

Asa  Gray  La  France 
Avalanche  La  Perle 

Baroness  Schroeder  *Mme.  de  Verneville 

*Duchesse  de  Nemours  Mme.  Emile  Lemoine 

Gismonda  Octavie  Demay 

Grandiflora  (Richardson)  *Philomele 
James  Kelway  Primevere 

*Kelway's  Glorious  *Splendida 

Duchesse  de  Nemours  is  one  of  the  most  intoxicatingly  sweet 
peonies  we  have.  Even  when  the  flower  is  full  blown  and  ready 
to  drop  to  pieces,  the  wonderful  perfume  persists. 

Kelway 's  Glorious  stands  high  in  the  list.  Its  fragrance  has 
played  no  small  part  in  giving  this  peony  the  rank  it  holds  to-day. 

Mme.  de  Verneville  has  the  rose's  essence.  Blindfolded,  one 
could  not  distinguish  between  them.  Baroness  Schroeder  also  has 
the  odor  of  the  rose,  and  Festiva  Maxima  has  it,  but  in  a  lesser 
degree. 

Philomele,  one  of  the  best  of  the  tricolored  peonies,  has  the 
heavy  deliciousness  of  the  mock  orange.  Calot  named  this  seed- 
ling of  his  "the  nightingale."  Perhaps  its  redolence  brought  to 
his  mind  the  story  of  Philomele  singing  in  the  moonlit  Thracian 
thickets  abloom  with  the  native  mock-orange. 

Splendida :  this  strong-growing  and  free-blooming  violaceous 
pink  peony  is  ambrosial  and  distinct.  The  flower  seldom  keeps 
well  when  cut,  so  the  flowers  are  best  left  to  perfume  the  garden. 

With  the  exception  of  Splendida,  however,  all  the  peonies  in 
the  above  list  not  only  are  valuable  for  their  fragrance,  but  are 


VARIETIES  AND  SPECIAL  LISTS  21 

excellent  for  cutting.  I  will  give  here  the  names  of  a  few  varieties 
seen  only  at  their  best  when  opened  in  the  house,  and  the  two  lists 
can  be  used  together  as  a  brief  catalogue  of  peonies  for  cutting. 

A  Short  List  of  Delicately  Beautiful  Peonies  for  Cutting 

Eugenie  Verdier  *Mireille 

Frances  Willard  Mme.  Calot 

Gillette  Mme.  Jules  Dessert 

La  Lorraine  Mrs.  C.  S.  Minot 

Le  Cygne  Solange 

*Marie  Crousse  Souvenir  de  Louis  Bigot 

Martha  Bullock  *Therese 

Milton  Hill  *Walter  Faxon 

The  selection  of  peonies  for  use  as  cut  flowers  naturally  in- 
cludes those  of  the  most  delicate  coloring,  whose  beauty  is  soon- 
est lost  in  the  light  of  the  sun.  Many  of  the  newest  and  most  ex- 
pensive varieties  fall  within  this  category.  I  would  not  imply 
that  some  of  the  stronger  colors  are  undesirable  for  decoration  in 
the  house;  but  those  listed  above  are  among  the  ones  which 
must  be  opened  or  partly  opened  in  shade  and  comparative 
coolness  in  order  to  secure  their  full  perfection. 

Marie  Crousse,  Therese,  and  Walter  Faxon  will  not  endure 
much  of  the  sun's  heat  or  light.  They  not  only  fade  but  also 
flag  or  wilt.  I  have  found  that  the  lovely  Therese  is  a  bit  "  soft " 
even  in  the  house.  Walter  Faxon,  however,  makes  an  ideal  cut- 
flower  and  lasts  for  days  in  increasing  beauty. 

Mireille  is  at  its  best  in  a  cool  and  rainy  season.  Then  it  opens 
its  gorgeous  solid  flowers  of  ivory,  tinted  in  the  centre  with  the 
faintest  rose-color.  So  fine  a  peony  is  Mireille  under  sympathetic 
conditions  that  one  forgives  its  failure  in  hot  and  sunny  weather. 

Comments  on  Mrs.  C.  S.  Minot,  Solange,  and  Souvenir  de 
Louis  Bigot  will  be  found  in  the  next  chapter. 

One  more  list  should  be  presented  to  the  appreciative  flower- 


22  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

lover  —  a  list  containing  the  choicest  single  and  Japanese  pe- 
onies. A  few  of  these  should  be  in  every  garden.  A  selection  of 
the  two  types  alone  would  be  of  interest  in  a  little  garden.  Here 
are  some  of  the  best  ones. 

A  Little  List  of  Single  and  Japanese  Peonies 

Japanese  Singles 

Ama-na-sode  La  Fiancee  (Dessert) 

Fuyajo  Marguerite  Dessert 

Mikado  Moonbeam 

O.  Fuji  Nellie 

Some-ga-noko  Pride  of  Langport 

Tora-no-maki  The  Moor 

Ama-na-sode  is  the  handsomest  pink  Japanese  peony  I  have 
ever  seen.  The  flowers  are  of  great  size  and  the  shade  of  pink  is 
close  to  that  of  Souvenir  de  Louis  Bigot.  So  striking  is  the  eflFect 
of  a  well-established  plant  of  Ama-na-sode  that  the  beholder  in- 
variably says  :  "Oh,  where  did  you  get  that  peony  ?  I  must  have 
one ! " 

Fuyajo  has  the  deepest  red  of  all  the  Japanese  peonies.  Not- 
withstanding the  fact  that  the  petaloids  are  touched  with  white, 
the  general  effect  is  extremely  dark.  This  variety  is  one  of  ex- 
ceeding richness.  Although  it  is  scarce,  it  should  be  secured  if 
possible. 

Tora-no-mald  :  this  is  a  white  variety  which  I  like  very  much. 
It  so  closely  resembles  the  scarce  and  expensive  Isani  Gidui  that 
some  experts  see  no  difference  between  them.  They  may  be  the 
same  thing,  for  there  is  great  confusion  in  the  names  of  the  Jap- 
anese varieties.  Tora-no-maki  is  a  profuse  bloomer,  and  on  a 
well-established  plant  the  flowers  are  quite  six  inches  in  diameter, 
which  is  fairly  large  for  peonies  of  the  Japanese  type. 

Moonbeam  has  been  described  earlier  in  this  chapter.  It 
is  here  classed  with  the  singles  for  convenience,  and  because  it 
should  be  included  in  any  collection  of  distinction. 


VARIETIES  AND  SPECIAL  LISTS 


23 


Nellie  and  Marguerite  Dessert  are  two  of  the  largest  and  most 
pleasing  pink  singles  among  albiflora  peonies.  Both  are  scarce 
and  rather  expensive,  but  well  worth  searching  for. 

Pride  of  Langport  is  also  a  large  and  glowing  pink,  but  of  a 
different  hue. 


Ill 

A  FEW  OF  THE  NEWER  AMERICAN  VARIETIES 

Within  the  last  five  years  a  veritable  avalanche  of  new  peonies 
has  been  introduced,  named,  and  placed  on  the  market  at  high 
prices.  Many  of  these  do  not  come  up  to  varieties  already  in 
commerce.  Some  are  improvements  upon  those  we  previously 
had.   A  few  are  superb  —  distinct  and  admirable  acquisitions. 

The  raising  of  peonies  from  seeds  not  only  is  a  delightful  pas- 
time, but  holds  possibilities  of  wonders  yet  to  be  developed.  It  is 
important  work,  which  is  not  to  be  discouraged.  The  thing  that 
should  be  discouraged,  however,  is  the  introduction  of  any  seed- 
lings which  are  not  superior  —  or  at  least  equal  —  to  the  finest 
peonies  now  in  our  possession. 

The  Federal  Horticultural  Board  states  that  Quarantine  No. 
37  was  imposed  in  order  to  protect  American  agriculture,  horti- 
culture, and  fruit-growing  from  the  destructive  insect-  and 
fungus-pests  of  other  countries.  Among  many  items,  this  quar- 
antine—  effective  June  1,  1919  —  forbids  the  importation  of 
peonies  except  under  certain  conditions  and  by  special  permits. 

Unfortunately  this  quarantine  operates  like  a  protective  tariff, 
of  which  fact  some  growers  and  dealers  seem  to  be  taking  advan- 
tage. As  importation  is  accomplished  only  with  difficulty,  the 
prices  of  all  kinds  of  nursery  stock  in  this  country  are  soaring.^ 

^In  one  of  the  trade  papers  a  well-known  professional  is  recently  (1922) 
reported  to  have  declared  that  some  nursery  products  have  now  been  increased 
from  150  to  400  per  cent  above  pre-quarantine  days.  In  the  same  paper  the  re- 
port of  a  certain  new  ruling  of  the  Federal  Horticultural  Board,  which  will  for  a 
period  of  three  y(;ars  admit  to  this  country  certain  bulbs,  is  headed :  "Amateurs 
Favored.  Trade  Threatened  in  New  Bulb-Ruling." 

These  items  are  interesting  reading.  They  throw  a  side  light  upon  the  mental 
processes  of  some  professionals ! 


AMERICAN  VARIETIES  25 

In  these  higher  prices  the  older  and  established  varieties  of 
peonies  are  included,  while  new  and  frequently  inferior  seedlings 
are  offered  for  sale  at  a  pretty  penny,  with  clamorous  stress  on 
the  fact  that  they  are  "American  productions." 

It  is  true  that  interest  in  the  peony  is  spreading  rapidly,  and 
that  the  demand  for  fine  peonies  is  therefore  increasing.  It 
is  also  true  that  labor  is  more  expensive  than  it  was  a  few  short 
years  ago.  These  things  account  for  the  much  higher  prices 
asked  for  established  varieties,  which  cannot,  as  heretofore,  be 
imported  in  quantity  to  supply  the  demand.  But  that  new 
varieties,  originated  in  this  country,  which  fall  far  short  of  what 
we  already  have,  should  be  put  on  the  market  at  top  prices 
seems  to  me  to  verge  upon  the  disingenuous.  The  mere  fact  that 
they  are  "new"  is  not  enough  to  satisfy  the  discriminating. 
They  should  have  great  merit,  both  intrinsic  and  comparative. 

The  amateur  who  is  striving  to  collect  only  the  best  is  some- 
what dazed.  He  asks  himself  which  of  those  much-advertised 
and  high-priced  peonies  are  really  equal  to  the  fine  ones  already 
known,  and  upon  which  he  shall  expend  his  sometimes  limited 
garden-money. 

The  new  peonies  bring  to  mind  the  little  girl  with  the  curl  upon 
her  forehead.  When  they  are  good,  they  are  very  good  indeed  — 
the  attainment  of  a  degree  of  perfection  that  could  only  have  been 
faintly  dreamed  of  a  hundred  years  ago.  And  when  they  are  bad, 
they  are  more  or  less  "horrid,"  and  should  not,  in  my  opinion,  be 
offered  for  sale  at  any  price.  As  I  write,  I  think  of  a  certain  peony 
which  has  been  recently  introduced.  It  is  what  John  Richardson 
would  have  called  "gizzard  color,"  To  me  it  looks  "blue  in  the 
face,"  a  frozen  dirty  unhappy  pink  that  would  have  been  better 
consigned  to  the  rubbish  heap.  The  color  is  similar  to  that  of  a 
number  of  the  poorer  old  varieties  :  it  has  not  even  the  distinction 
of  being  unique  in  its  ugliness.   One  wonders  what  on  earth  im- 


26  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

pelled  the  grower  to  select  such  a  thing  to  go  forth  as  worthy  of 
his  name. 

Occasionally  such  gems  as  Mrs.  C.  S.  Minot,  Mrs.  Edward 
Harding,  Rose  Shay  lor,  Frances  Willard,  Martha  Bullock,  and 
President  Wilson  —  to  name  a  few  examples  —  are  evolved  and 
offered  to  the  delighted  connoisseur.  All  of  these  are  American 
productions  of  the  best  quality.  The  men  who  have  worked  to 
create  them  are  entitled  to  the  greatest  praise.  If,  in  the  selection 
of  new  seedlings  to  be  named  and  placed  in  commerce,  an  equally 
high  class  were  always  maintained  by  every  originator,  it  would 
be  better  in  every  way  for  the  garden-lover,  and  for  the  fame  of 
the  peony. 

It  must  be  admitted  that  the  modern  American  growers  are 
the  greatest  oflPenders  in  this  matter  of  putting  out  new  things 
that  do  not  measure  up.  Kelway,  in  England,  too,  has  sent  out 
many  peonies  far,  far  below  his  best.  French  growers  have  been 
and  are  more  exacting  in  their  standards.  Not  only  the  lovely 
peonies  from  Lemoine  and  Dessert  of  to-day,  but  the  fine  accom- 
plishments of  their  predecessors,  indicate  a  degree  of  taste  and  a 
restraint  of  selection  for  which  we  should  be  grateful.  Perhaps 
when  we  have  been  originating  peonies  in  this  country  as  long  as 
it  has  been  done  in  France,  we,  too,  shall  be  more  conservative. 
Meanwhile  the  delight  of  the  occupation,  the  thrill  of  achieve- 
ment, and  the  ease  with  which  anything  "new"  is  sold  render 
the  American  growers  too  lenient  in  their  judgments  upon  their 
own  productions. 

In  one  or  two  chapters  it  is  impossible  to  review  all  the  new 
peonies,  American,  French,  and  English,  which  are  on  the  mar- 
ket. But  a  few  of  the  most  important  and  widely  advertised 
varieties  should  receive  some  attention.  I  here  share  my  experi- 
ence and  observations  with  other  amateurs  in  order  to  assist 
them  in  selecting  from  the  newer  productions.   My  comments 


AMERICAN  VARIETIES  ,    27 

are  offered  with  the  desire  to  uphold  the  highest  ideals  of  true 
worth  in  the  peony  itself. 

In  addition  to  some  of  the  latest  arrivals  in  the  peony  world  a 
number  of  choice  varieties,  a  little  older  but  still  not  commonly 
known,  will  be  discussed. 

There  is  one  serious  drawback  not  often  mentioned  in  connec- 
tion with  the  purchase  of  new  and  rare  peonies.  That  is  a  weak- 
ness of  the  stock,  which  is  many  times  the  result  of  too  frequent 
division.  So  intense  is  the  interest  of  amateur  collectors,  and  so 
keen  is  the  rivalry  between  dealers  and  growers  to  obtain  the 
latest,  that  the  roots  are  cut  and  recut  up  to  the  limit  of  possi- 
bility. This  fine  division  is  practised  by  some  dealers  year  after 
year,  with  the  result  that  the  varieties  so  treated  are  much  en- 
feebled. This  is  an  important  reason  why  the  intending  pur- 
chaser should,  before  buying  the  costliest  peonies,  seek  infor- 
mation as  to  which  varieties  are  at  present  suffering  from  such 
treatment. 

The  greatest  profit  is  obtained  in  the  sale  of  roots  while  they 
are  new  and  in  the  limelight.  I  suppose  it  is  human  nature  to 
take  advantage  of  this  fact ;  but  it  is  most  unfair  to  the  peonies, 
and  somewhat  rough  on  the  purchaser,  that  the  roots  should  so 
often  be  minced  to  the  point  of  exhaustion  before  the  collector 
can  secure  them.  In  the  end,  the  dealers  themselves  will  suffer. 
A  slower  distribution  of  novelties  would  give  the  stock  a  chance 
to  keep  its  strength.  A  smaller  profit,  based  on  a  steady  demand 
through  future  years,  would  in  every  way  seem  more  sensible. 

Many  of  the  recent  and  widely  advertised  peonies  have  come 
from  the  West.  Mr.  Brand,  of  Faribault,  Minnesota,  made  the 
production  of  new  varieties  his  great  specialty.  Out  of  thousands 
of  seedhngs,  grown  in  a  wholesale  and  most  interesting  way,  he 
has  selected  and  placed  in  commerce  about  fifty.  Of  these,  Fran- 
ces Willard  and  Martha  Bullock  remain,  in  my  opinion,  his  best. 


28  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

Frances  Willard  (Brand,  1907)  is  very  fine.  In  addition  to  the 
pearliness  of  its  delicate  cream-and-blush  coloring  it  has  the 
strength  of  growth  which  makes  it  valuable.  The  stems  are  stiff, 
upright,  and  able  to  support  the  large  and  lovely  flower.  The 
foliage  is  clean,  ample,  and  ornamental.  The  roots  increase  well, 
and  rejoice  the  heart  of  the  gardener.  Altogether  it  is  satisfying 
and  I  count  it  one  of  my  favorites. 

Martha  Bullock  (Brand,  1907)  :  this  impressive  peony  must  be 
established  to  show  its  full  beauty.  The  extra-large  cup-shaped 
flowers  are  a  rich  shade  of  pink  throughout.  The  plant  is  natu- 
rally vigorous.  Under  good  cultivation  it  will  easily  attain  a  height 
of  almost  five  feet,  with  strong  stems,  immense  blooms,  and 
splendid  foliage.  Indeed,  the  plant  is  so  lusty  that  some  connois- 
seurs consider  it  coarse.  One  friend  insists  that  it  reminds  him 
"  of  nothing  so  much  as  a  head  of  cabbage  stuck  on  the  end  of  a 
hoe  handle  ! "  However,  that  is  a  matter  of  taste ;  and  the  fact  re- 
mains that  Martha  Bullock  makes  a  magnificent  object  in  the 
garden.  In  my  experience,  the  roots  of  this  peony  do  not  increase 
rapidly,  but  they  are  strong  and  healthy. 

Elizabeth  Barrett  Browning  (Brand,  1907)  :  this  much-adver- 
tised peony  is  beautiful  but  disappointing.  The  large  and  fra- 
grant flower  is  white  with  delicate  tints  of  pink  and  yellow.  The 
stem,  however,  is  so  weak  that  the  flowers  fall  over  to  the  ground, 
their  faces  in  the  dirt.  The  mention  of  this  characteristic  is  usu- 
ally omitted  in  catalogue  descriptions.  The  plant  is  not  very 
floriferous  and  the  roots  increase  slowly.  No  amount  of  poetic 
description  can  change  these  faults.  This  peony  has  been  over- 
rated and  overadvertised. 

In  Mary  Brand  (Brand,  1907)  and  Longfellow  (Brand,  1907) 
Mr.  Brand  has  presented  two  red  peonies  of  excellent  color.  The 
really  good  shades  of  red  are  few  among  peonies,  and  they  are 
always  eagerly  sought  by  collectors.    But  in  my  garden  Mary 


AMERICAN  VARIETIES  29 

Brand  has  proved  to  be  a  weak  grower  and  shy  bloomer.  It  evi- 
dently comes  within  the  number  of  western  peonies  which  are  not 
at  their  best  in  the  eastern  climate  and  soils.  Longfellow  appears 
to  have  a  stronger  constitution  than  Mary  Brand. 

For  general  garden-purposes,  however,  especially  in  the  east- 
ern part  of  the  United  States,  neither  of  these  peonies  can  take 
the  place  of  Karl  Rosenfield,  which  is  a  sturdy,  all-round,  bright 
red  peony,  lusty  and  free-blooming. 

Jubilee  (Pleas,  1908)  has  been  one  of  the  most  widely  heralded 
peonies  of  American  production.  This  peony  suffers  from  the 
same  defect  as  does  Elizabeth  Barrett  Browning  —  that  is,  a 
weak  stem,  which  allows  the  flower  to  lie  prostrate  in  the  mud. 
It  has  been  remarked  that  there  is  no  universal  mathematical 
standard  of  beauty.  The  truth  of  that  statement  occurs  to  me 
when  I  think  of  the  somewhat  noisy  ravings  over  Jubilee,  which 
have  come  from  a  few  sources.  In  my  detached  and  disinterested 
opinion  this  peony  has  been  too  highly  extolled.  Pasteur 
(Crousse),  similar  but  more  beautiful,  is  a  far  finer  variety.  The 
flower  of  Jubilee  is  larger  than  that  of  Pasteur,  but  Pasteur  has 
better  form  and  better  stems.  Moreover,  —  and  this  is  a  point 
not  to  be  totally  ignored,  —  Pasteur  costs  two  dollars  a  root, 
while  Jubilee  is  at  present  listed  in  catalogues  at  fifteen  dollars. 

Elwood  Pleas  (Pleas,  1900)  is  considered  by  many  discriminat- 
ing judges  to  be  Mrs.  Pleas's  best  peony,  with  Midsummer 
Night's  Dream  a  close  second  in  favor.  Elwood  Pleas  is  very 
large  —  a  flat,  compact  rose-type  peony  of  pale  rose-color.  For 
those  who  do  not  want  to  pay  ten  dollars  for  this  flower,  the  pur- 
chase of  Richardson's  Alpheus  Hyatt  at  three  or  five  doUars  is 
suggested. 

Midsummer  Night's  Dream  (Pleas,  1906)  has  as  its  greatest 
charm  the  tinge  of  yellow  in  the  centre  of  the  white  flower.  Yel- 
low is  so  rare  in  the  Chinese  peonies  that  every  recruit  is  welcome. 


30  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

The  Cherry  Hill  Nurseries  are  putting  out  a  number  of  seed- 
lings, some  of  which  have  proved  to  be  excellent.  Pride  of  Essex 
(Thurlow,  1916)  and  Nymphsea  (Thurlow,  1919)  have  already 
justly  won  much  praise,  while  President  Wilson  (Thurlow,  1918) 
is  gaining  laurels  both  as  a  cut  flower  and  as  a  garden  subject. 
Like  many  other  good  peonies  it  is  at  its  best  on  established 
plants.  The  cup-shaped  blooms  of  light  pink  last  well. 

The  peony  Cherry  Hill  (Thurlow,  1915)  has  never  seemed  to 
me  to  be  worth  the  price  asked  for  it,  which  is  now  twenty  dol- 
lars. There  are  other  equally  handsome  reds  at  prices  much  more 
reasonable  —  Adolphe  Rousseau,  for  instance,  which  will  grace 
the  proudest  garden  for  the  modest  expenditure  of  one  dollar  and 
a  half. 

Helen  (Thurlow,  1922),  a  recent  production  of  the  Cherry  Hill 
Nurseries,  is  a  taking  single  pink.  The  exceptionally  long  season 
of  bloom  is  an  especial  attraction.  It  is  extremely  new,  and  lacks 
the  test  of  time.  If,  on  longer  trial,  it  continues  to  exhibit  the 
same  high  quahty,  it  will  be  a  useful  peony.  This  fledgling  gives 
great  promise,  and  its  progress  should  be  watched  by  the  dis- 
criminating gardener. 

Mr.  Shaylor's  seedlings  are  fine  indeed.  So  outstanding  is 
their  merit  that  they  are  in  great  demand.  Mary  Woodbury 
Shay  lor  (1916)  has  been  so  persistently  sought  that  the  stock 
has  been  divided  too  often  and  too  closely  by  the  dealers.  This 
variety  is  somewhat  spent  as  a  result  of  this  treatment. 

Mrs.  Edward  Harding  (1918),  sensationally  beautiful  and 
naturally  most  vigorous,  is  also  being  divided  too  frequently  and 
too  closely.  Only  in  the  few  private  gardens  where  this  peony  has 
fortunately  been  kept  safe  will  one  be  able  to  see  its  allure.  I 
have  stood  before  a  flower  of  this  variety,  cut  from  a  four-year- 
old  plant,  and  fairly  gasped  at  the  perfection  of  its  loveliness. 
The  well-established  plant  is  robust  and  impressive.   The 


AMERICAN  VARIETIES  31 

sive  buds,  on  strong  erect  stems  forty  inches  in  height,  expand 
into  large  flowers  of  ivory  white.  No  red  hnes  or  blotches  mar 
the  thick  smooth  creamy  texture  of  the  broad  petals.  Rose  type, 
globular,  free-blooming,  vigorous  —  it  is  no  wonder  that  con- 
noisseurs and  collectors  will  pay  any  price  to  possess  this  re- 
splendent peony. 

Three  more  of  Mr.  Shaylor's  seedlings  should  be  mentioned 
here  :  Rose  Shaylor,  Doris,  and  Wilton  Lockwood.  Rose  Shaylor 
is  superb.  I  consider  it  far  more  engaging  than  the  famous  Mary 
Woodbury  Shaylor.  Large  blooms,  cream-colored,  lighted  with 
golden  stamens,  and  often  tinged  throughout  with  pink,  are  held 
well  above  the  foliage  by  tall  stiff  thick  stems.  It  is  an  outstand- 
ing peony,  which  is  certain  to  be  keenly  appreciated  when  it  is 
better  known. 

Doris  and  Wilton  Lockwood  are  still  so  restricted  in  their 
distribution  that  comparatively  few  gardeners  know  of  their 
existence.  Both  of  these  pink  peonies  are  superior,  and  will  be 
heard  of  later. 

Doris  is  a  tall  strong  grower  and  free  bloomer.  The  flower  is 
cup-shaped,  of  a  delightful  pink  with  darker  touches.  It  is  a 
lovely  peony. 

Wilton  Lockwood  is  one  of  the  extremely  robust  peonies,  with 
thick  stems  and  large  bold  full  flowers.  The  rosy  pink  color  is 
most  pleasing.  There  are  very  dark  crimson  markings  in  the 
centre. 

Shaylor's  Dream  is  not  as  satisfying  as  his  other  seedlings.  It 
is  practically  a  single  flower.  It  is  very  dainty  when  it  flrst  opens, 
but  as  the  bloom  gets  older  the  extremely  reflexed  petals  cause  it 
to  lose  much  of  its  lustre.  I  think  that  the  owner  of  a  little  gar- 
den, where  space  is  a  consideration,  would  be  more  content  with 
any  of  the  other  Shaylor  seedlings  which  I  have  mentioned. 

One  extraordinary  peony,   recently  placed  in  commerce,  is 


32  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

Mrs.  C.  S.  Minot  (Minot,  1914).  It  originated  in  the  garden 
of  Doctoi"  C.  S.  Minot  of  Readville,  Massachusetts,  who  was 
an  enthusiastic  amateur  gardener  and  a  devoted  admirer  of 
the  peony.  He  planted  many  peony  seeds.  Wlien  I  saw  his 
seedling  plot  in  bloom  not  a  great  while  ago,  I  found  much  to 
interest  me.  Some  of  these  seedlings  have  recently  been  sold  to  a 
western  grower,  and  the  future  may  hold  some  pleasant  develop- 
ments among  them.  So  far,  however,  Mrs.  C.  S.  Minot  is  the  best 
one  that  Dr.  Minot  produced.  It  is  an  exquisite  and  distin- 
guished peony.  The  plant  is  usually  rather  dwarf,  but  it  is  also 
sturdy,  I  have  had  this  variety  in  my  garden  for  several  years. 
Last  season  (1922)  it  surprised  me  by  throwing  up  tall  stems  — 
quite  half  as  long  again  as  they  usually  grow.  The  effect  was 
unexpectedly  showy.  The  flowers  are  large  and  the  coloring  is 
fine.  The  guard-petals  are  a  soft  pink  —  rather  a  mauve  pink  — 
and  melt  into  a  full  centre  of  deep  cream.  The  petals  are  large 
throughout.  The  exquisite  tinting,  good  form,  and  the  qual- 
ity of  lasting  well  make  this  peony  a  most  lovely  thing  either  in 
the  garden  or  as  a  cut  flower. 

Miriam  (Chase,  1916)  is  a  semidouble  of  a  rich  shade  of  pink, 
which  has  the  desirable  quality  of  holding  its  color  outdoors. 
The  petals  are  of  excellent  substance.  The  plant  is  floriferous, 
strong-growing,  and  conspicuously  good  in  the  landscape.  It  is 
one  of  the  noticeable  varieties  of  recent  American  origin. 

The  peonies  mentioned  in  the  foregoing  paragraphs  are  all  of 
most  recent  introduction.  There  are  a  few  somewhat  older  Amer- 
ican peonies  which  must  also  be  considered. 

The  seedlings  of  John  Richardson  are  at  last  being  more  widely 
distributed,  and  the  best  of  them  are  receiving  the  appreciation 
which  is  their  due.  Grandiflora  and  Milton  Hill  have  been  grown 
and  known  to  a  considerable  extent  for  some  time.  But  a  closer 
acquaintance  with  that  pink  marvel,  Walter  Faxon,  is  compara- 


HIPHH 

^^^K^^  ' '  jI^^^^H 

w 

' -'^^1^1 

^K  '^  ^^'^ 

^'-  ji 

RH^B  '  r          ^^H 

^^^BI^Hi^  ^ 

*Mm 

p^-  ^^^H 

^^^^^^5  -         '>^^ 

^B'»;                     ,^^ 

H|:/\;<;  ^^  'flB 

^^^B'       '  '9^1 

Ja/u<  Kkhardson' s  Walter  Fcwon 
(Vase — fifteen  inches  high  —  made  at  Dorchester,  Mass.) 


AMERICAN  VARIETIES  33 

lively  recent.  Here  is  the  most  delectable  hue  of  pink  displayed 
by  any  of  the  peonies  outside  of  the  Moutans.  Close  to  it  in 
color  and  form  and  of  almost  equal  warmth  is  Souvenir  de  Louis 
Bigot  (Dessert,  1913).  The  lovely  yellowish  pink  in  these  two 
flowers  is  rare  among  the  herbaceous  peonies,  but  is  frequently 
found  in  varying  degrees  of  intensity  in  the  tree  peonies. 

In  my  opinion  Walter  Faxon  is  the  peony  which,  instead  of 
Therese,  is  entitled  to  be  placed  with  Le  Cygne  and  Solange  as 
"the  world's  best  three."  It  surpasses  Therese  in  point  of  color, 
and  it  is  quite  the  equal  of  Therese  in  freedom  of  bloom  and 
habit  of  growth.  Large,  showy,  and  high-class  as  Therese  is,  it 
cannot  touch  either  Walter  Faxon  or  Souvenir  de  Louis  Bigot 
for  gorgeousness  and  purity  of  coloring. 

The  merits  of  Alpheus  Hyatt  have  already  been  mentioned  in 
Chapter  ii. 

Another  Richardson  seedling  which  has  recently  come  into 
prominence  is  H.  A.  Hagen.  This  peony  is  a  strikingly  clear 
pink  which  is  much  admired.  It  does  not,  however,  compare 
in  color  with  Walter  Faxon. 

Even  better  than  H.  A.  Hagen,  I  hke  Paul  Fischer.  This 
peony  also  has  a  strong  rose-pink  color.  In  my  garden  the 
plant  grows  taller  than  does  H.  A.  Hagen.  The  foliage  closely 
resembles  that  of  Milton  Hill,  which  has  marked  personality. 

The  foliage  of  many  of  the  Richardson  seedlings  has  a  family 
resemblance.  Milton  Hill,  Walter  Faxon,  and  Paul  Fischer  all 
have  leaves  which  are  very  full  —  as  though  Flora  had  cut  out 
a  bit  too  much  material  and  had  gathered  it  slightly  when  she 
sewed  it  to  the  frame.  The  effect  is  charming  in  its  distinctive- 
ness and  aids  one  in  recognizing  the  plants  when  they  are  not  in 
bloom.  These  six  Richardson  seedlings  ought  to  be  in  all  col- 
lections of  any  size,  while  any  one  of  them  would  be  a  distinct 
addition  to  even  the  smallest  garden. 


34  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

Another  American  grower,  George Hollis  of  South  Weymouth, 
Massachusetts,  who  died  in  1911,  produced  and  placed  upon  the 
market  a  large  number  of  seedling  peonies.  In  spite  of  the  fact 
that  Mr.  Hollis  employed  hand-pollination  in  his  efforts  to  se- 
cure new  varieties,  only  a  few  of  his  seedlings  measure  up  to 
the  high  standards  of  to-day.  He  realized  and  admitted  that 
the  stock  with  which  he  worked  was  —  with  a  few  exceptions 
—  not  the  best  obtainable. 

Among  the  peony-growers,  dealers,  and  specialists,  there  has 
been  recently  quite  a  flurry  of  excitement  over  the  Hollis  pe- 
onies. High  prices  have  been  placed  upon  some  of  the  varieties, 
and  a  fever  of  enthusiasm  has  impelled  their  purchase  at  ab- 
surd rates.  Edith  Forrest,  for  instance,  is  listed  to-day  at  forty 
dollars  a  root.  The  flower  is  of  immense  size,  very  deep,  and 
much  like  Festiva  Maxima  in  form,  but  of  a  dull  rose-color  which 
is  not  very  pleasing.  This  flower  is  at  its  best  as  a  show  bloom, 
where  size  attracts  attention  and  admiration. 

Enchantment  is  one  of  the  few  peonies  in  my  garden  about 
which  I  have  two  minds.  Sometimes  I  think  I  will  dispose  of  it 
entirely,  because  of  the  long  bending  stems  which  do  not  hold 
the  flower  as  erect  as  I  like.  Then  again,  in  a  cool  and  rainy 
season  the  large  pink  blooms  are  so  "enchanting"  in  color  and 
so  good  for  cutting,  that  I  stay  my  hand,  and  Enchantment 
remains.  In  color  it  is  close  to  Virginie.  Many  stamens  show 
throughout  the  flower. 

The  three  most  desirable  Hollis  peonies  seem  to  me  to  be 
Loveliness,  Jennie  E.  Richardson,  and  Maud  L.  Richardson.  I 
particularly  like  Maud  L.  Richardson.  The  plant  is  one  of  the 
tallest  of  the  herbaceous  peonies.  Sometimes  it  is  well  over  four 
feet  in  height.  The  flower  is  large  and  flat,  with  fringy  petals. 
The  color  is  soft  pink,  paling  down  to  white  in  the  centre. 

Jennie  E.  Richardson,  a  pleasing  white,  is  scarce.  When  this 


AMERICAN  VARIETIES  35 

plant  is  well  established  the  flower  is  extra  large,  full,  of  good 
form,  and  may  be  ranked  as  a  high-class  peony.  The  variety 
seems  to  have  been  lost  or  mislaid  for  a  while.  At  present  it  is 
very  expensive  —  as  much  as  fifty  dollars  a  root  is  asked  for  it 
by  the  few  dealers  who  have  it. 

Loveliness  is  perhaps  the  best  known  of  any  of  the  Hollis 
peonies.  It  has  been  described  and  exhibited  many  times,  and 
fully  deserves  the  attention  which  has  been  paid  to  it.  A  large 
fragrant  compact  flower,  of  an  exquisite  shade  of  pink,  this 
peony  is  well  and  appropriately  named. 

These  then  are  among  the  American  peonies  of  outstanding 
merit  or  interest.  Many  more  have  been  widely  advertised  and 
loudly  praised.  Some  of  them  I  have  already  discarded,  while 
still  others  are  growing  in  my  fields,  awaiting  the  judgment  of  a 
further  test. 


IV 


SOME  OF  THE  NEWER  FRENCH  AND  ENGLISH 
VARIETIES 

The  peonies  originated  by  the  French  growers  have  been  the 
model  of  beauty  for  many  years.  They  still  are.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  a  limited  number  —  a  few  from  England  and  a  few 
from  the  United  States  —  they  are  as  yet  unapproached.  An 
examination  of  the  list  of  peonies  in  the  best  collections  will 
reveal  a  preponderance  of  French  peonies. 

Three  growers  in  particular  have  provided  us  with  an  array 
of  peonies  which  are  almost  faultless.  I  refer  to  M.  Felix 
Crousse,  who  —  retired  from  business  —  is  living  in  Nancy 
at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years ;  to  M.  Auguste  Dessert  ^  of  Che- 
nonceaux,  whose  special  interest  is  peonies,  both  tree  and  herba- 
ceous ;  and  to  M.  Emile  Lemoine,  of  Nancy,  the  world's  greatest 
hybridist. 

While  a  number  of  important  and  valuable  peonies  were  pro- 
duced in  France  prior  to  the  time  of  these  three  men,  and  while 
a  few  choice  varieties  have  been  recently  originated  by  Riviere, 
Millet,  and  others,  the  bulk  of  the  finest  seedlings  has  come 
from  these  three  houses.  The  peonies  of  M.  Crousse  have  been 
longer  in  commerce  than  those  of  M.  Dessert  and  M.  Lemoine. 
Because  they  have  had  more  time  to  increase  and  be  widely 
distributed  they  are  not  classed  as  novelties.  I  have  men- 
tioned several  of  them  in  Chapter  ii,  which  deals  with  many  of 


^  Since  this  chapter  was  written,  M.  Dessert  has  announced  his  retirement 
and  the  sale  of  his  entire  collection  of  peonies  to  M  M.  Doriat  et  Fils,  Lapalisse 
(Allier),  France. 


FRENCH  AND  ENGLISH  VARIETIES  37 

the  standard  varieties ;  but  this  seems  to  be  an  opportune  place 
to  speak  more  in  detail  of  the  work  of  M.  Crousse. 

It  is  noteworthy  that  M.  Crousse  never  employed  hand-polli- 
nation in  the  production  of  his  lovely  peonies.  In  my  corre- 
spondence with  him  I  find  in  one  letter,  sent  to  me  a  few  years 
ago,  a  passage  so  informing  that  I  quote  it  here :  — 

"I  started  my  first  seedling  about  1869.  I  did  not  then  have 
the  time  to  employ  artificial  fertilization,  therefore  I  proceeded 
differently.  I  omitted  from  my  collection  all  flowers  of  inferior 
quality,  leaving  only  the  strictest  selection  of  the  most  beautiful 
varieties.  I  harvested,  and  sowed  as  soon  as  they  ripened,  all 
the  seeds  which  were  produced.  It  was  always  thus  that  I  pro- 
ceeded whenever  I  wished  to  secure  seedlings.  I  had  at  that 
time  one  of  the  most  complete  and  well-chosen  collections.  I 
grew  as  many  seedlings  as  possible,  according  to  the  space  at 
my  disposal.  My  greatest  disappointment  arose  in  the  color, 
yellow.  I  had  hoped  some  day  to  obtain  a  coloring  equally  as 
beautiful  as  that  of  the  rose  Marechal  Niel.  In  this  matter  I 
had  no  success.  The  beautiful  color  for  which  I  sought  appears 
to-day  in  the  tree  peony  originated  by  M.  Lemoine." 

Referring  to  the  species  from  which  his  new  varieties  came, 
M.  Crousse  says  :  "I  must  say  that  I  have  always  placed  the 
greatest  confidence  upon  the  seeds  produced  by  P.  albiflora.  It 
is  from  that  species  that  have  come  the  prettiest  varieties  which 
ornament  our  gardens  to-day." 

When  one  considers  that  out  of  about  fifty-five  seedlings 
placed  in  commerce  by  Crousse  between  1873  and  1880  more 
than  half  are  still  considered  to  be  of  the  finest  quality,  and  that 
out  of  this  number  at  least  a  dozen  ^  are  to  be  classed  among  the 

1  Twelve  of  Crousse's  superb  peonies  are :  — 

Albert  Crousse  Felix  Crousse  Marie  Crousse 

Asa  Gray  Gismonda  Marguerite  Gerard 

Avalanche  La  Perle  M.  Jules  Elie 

Claire  Dubois  La  Rosiere  Mme.  de  Verneville 


38  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

world's  best,  the  achievement  of  M.  Crousse  is  astounding. 
Quite  apart  from  the  greater  excellence  of  the  flowers,  the  im- 
portance of  planting  only  the  choicest  varieties  obtainable  is 
here  emphasized  for  all  who  are  interested  in  producing  new 
varieties. 

The  peonies  of  M.  Auguste  Dessert,  like  those  of  M.  Lemoine, 
are  more  recent  than  those  of  M.  Crousse,  and  are  therefore 
scarcer  and  higher-priced.  Out  of  the  many  exquisite  varieties 
which  he  has  originated  perhaps  the  most  widely  known  to-day 
is  Therese  (Dessert,  1904).  The  large  size  and  the  freedom  of 
bloom  characteristic  of  this  peony  attract  attention  at  once. 
The  stems  are  stiff  and  erect.  A  well-grown  plant  of  Therese, 
covered  with  its  immense  flowers  of  violet-rose  and  white,  is  a 
charming  sight.  The  roots  increase  rapidly,  and  bear  bright 
pink  buds  of  unusual  size.  Healthy,  strong,  and  fair,  Therese  is 
a  pleasing  peony.  In  comparison  with  Dessert's  other  produc- 
tions, however,  it  has  not  the  place  in  my  affections  held  by 
Souvenir  de  Louis  Bigot  or  Suzette.  Both  of  these  varieties 
have  been  lately  introduced.  When  they  are  more  widely 
known,  I  think  that  they  will  be  regarded  with  higher  favor 
than  is  Therese. 

Mme.  Jules  Dessert  (Dessert,  1909)  :  this  is  one  of  the  most 
lovely  of  the  modern  peonies.  The  coloring  is  delicate  and  fades 
rapidly  in  a  strong  light.  If  the  flower  is  cut  just  as  the  bud 
unfolds  and  is  opened  in  a  cool  shady  room,  the  wonderful  tints 
of  flesh,  straw,  and  white  can  be  seen  to  perfection.  Its  evanes- 
cent freshness  can  thus  be  captured  for  full  enjoyment.  The 
plant  is  strong-growing  and  free-blooming.  The  roots  increase 
well. 

Raoul  Dessert  (Dessert,  1910)  :  this  peony  is  still  so  recent 
that  typical  flowers  are  as  yet  hard  to  find  even  at  shows.  The 
plants  from  various  sources  seem  to  exhibit  considerable  varia- 


FRENCH  AND  ENGLISH  VARIETIES  39 

tion  in  form  and  color.  This  may  be  due  to  conditions  of  growth 
or  it  is  possible  that  two  different  stocks  are  being  offered  to 
the  buyer.  Some  blooms  are  compact  and  high  built,  of  a  clear 
mauve-pink  splashed  with  darker  shadings.  Others  are  of  rose 
or  semi-rose  type,  more  loosely  arranged,  and  of  a  color  ap- 
proaching the  tone  of  Walter  Faxon,  though  slightly  tinged 
with  purple.  I  am  watching  with  interest  the  performance  of 
this  peony  in  my  garden.  It  gives  promise  of  being  of  impor- 
tance. 

Suzette  (Dessert,  1911)  :  although  Suzette  was  introduced  a 
year  later  than  Raoul  Dessert,  it  is  more  widely  known.  I  men- 
tioned this  peony  in  Chapter  ii,  for  its  habit  of  increasing  rap- 
idly has  made  it  available  among  the  older  and  less  expensive 
peonies.  Suzette's  lively  pink  coloring  is  much  to  my  taste. 
The  flower  has  more  substance  than  has  Therese,  and  endures 
better  the  strong  light  of  the  garden.  The  whole  plant  —  in 
bloom,  foliage,  and  bearing  —  has  a  vivid  personality.  I  like  it 
well. 

Souvenir  de  Louis  Bigot  (Dessert,  1913)  :  this  is  a  handsome 
peony.  Its  yellowish  pink  color  approaches  closely  the  wonder- 
ful pure  pink  of  Walter  Faxon.  Strong  stems  hold  the  large 
shapely  flowers  well  above  the  foliage.  The  plant  flowers  freely 
and  regularly  each  year.  In  my  garden  notebook  I  find  the  fol- 
lowing entry  made  last  June  :  "  Souvenir  de  Louis  Bigot  is  a  real 
treasure.  Its  effect  in  the  garden  is  nothing  short  of  gorgeous." 

Laura  Dessert  (Dessert,  1913)  :  in  Chapter  ii  I  referred  to 
Laura  Dessert  in  comparison  with  Primevere.  Although  Laura 
Dessert  is  indeed  a  delightful  peony  and  is  considered  by  some 
growers  to  be  the  best  yellow  herbaceous  peony,  I  cannot  see 
that  it  is  any  improvement  upon  Primevere.  Their  similarity 
is  striking.  I  find  in  my  notebook  under  the  date  of  1919  the 
following  entry  :  "  Laura  Dessert  closely  resembles  Primevere, 


40  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

but  it  is  no  better."  Since  then  I  have  had  no  occasion  to 
change  my  mind.  Two  varieties  are  being  offered  under  this 
name  :  one  rose-type  with  cream- white  guard-petals  and  bright 
yellow  centre  —  which  is  the  true  variety  —  and  one  with  light 
pink  guard-petals  and  yellow  centre. 

Ginette  (Dessert,  1915)  :  one  of  the  finest  of  the  novelties  is 
Ginette.  The  large  flesh-pink  flower  has  a  touch  of  the  soft 
tea-color  which  is  so  entrancing  in  Solange.  Still  new  and  very 
scarce,  this  peony  will  undoubtedly  be  held  in  great  favor  when 
it  is  better  known  and  when  less  frequent  division  shall  give  it  a 
better  chance  to  show  itself. 

Jeannot  (Dessert,  1918)  :  still  more  recent  than  Ginette  is 
Jeannot,  exquisite  and  delicate  in  coloring.  There  is  a  peculiar 
tinting  in  the  centre  of  this  flesh-pink  flower  which  gives  it  much 
distinction. 

Auguste  Dessert  (Dessert,  1920)  is  a  flower  of  unusual  color  — ■ 
perhaps  bright  cherry-color  is  the  best  description.  The  gold  of 
stamens  and  occasional  touches  of  white  on  the  petals  give  bril- 
liancy to  the  general  effect.  These  last  two  peonies,  Jeannot  and 
Auguste  Dessert,  are  still  such  new  arrivals  in  our  gardens  that 
the  results  of  long  test  cannot  be  given.  They  are  mentioned 
here  because  of  their  notable  promise. 

These  are  only  a  few  of  the  rare  herbaceous  peonies  given  to 
flower-lovers  by  M.  Dessert.  But  even  this  brief  survey  of  some 
of  his  finest  productions  is  enough  to  show  their  quality  and 
variety. 

The  more  I  ponder  upon  the  number  of  dazzling  peonies  from 
which  the  interested  gardener  can  make  selections  after  his  own 
heart,  the  more  amazing  the  achievements  of  the  modern  horti- 
culturists appear.  In  other  species  of  perennial  garden  flowers 
one  has  an  equally  wide  range  of  choice.  Peonies,  irises,  and 
roses  offer  almost  unlimited  opportunities  for  the  indulgence  of 


Primevere  ( Lemoine,  1907 ) 


FRENCH  AND  ENGLISH  VARIETIES  41 

exacting  preferences.  Chrysanthemums,  asters,  and  phlox  are 
following  closely  in  number.  And  if  we  choose  to  add  to  these 
perennials  the  lilies,  tulips,  and  dahlias,  and  above  all  the  rich 
field  of  flowering  shrubs,  particularly  the  hybrid  lilacs  (syringas), 
there  is  no  end  to  the  color  at  our  command ;  so  that  the  par- 
ticular hue  of  pink  or  lavender  or  blue  or  yellow  which  sets 
vibrating  an  uncontrollable  delight  within  each  one  of  us  is 
available  to  every  gardener,  be  his  ground  of  unlimited  acreage 
or  only  "a  little  garden,  square  and  wall'd."  Truly,  to  have  a 
garden  is  to  be  happy  ! 

It  would  take  a  large  volume  properly  to  set  forth  a  study  of 
the  work  of  Emile  Lemoine,  the  master  hybridist,  and  of  his 
father  Victor,  before  him.  But  a  few  brief  notes  are  most  ap- 
propriate here. 

For  over  forty  years  has  the  present  head  of  the  house  of 
Lemoine  worked  and  studied,  produced  and  eliminated,  judged, 
selected,  and  introduced  to  the  world  of  horticulture.  With 
unflagging  devotion  to  science,  with  utter  loyalty  to  the  ideals 
of  beauty  and  of  truth  untainted  by  commercialism,  has  the 
work  of  this  man  gone  quietly  on.  Such  patience  and  high 
principles  have  had  their  reward  in  many  ways  :  in  the  produc- 
tion of  flowers  of  unrivaled  quality  and  in  the  deathless  fame 
which  they  have  brought  to  him;  in  the  appreciative  honors 
bestowed  upon  him  by  his  country  ;  in  the  grateful  and  affec- 
tionate esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  eveiy  true  gardener ;  and 
last  and  best,  in  the  personal  satisfaction  of  great  accomplish- 
ment. 

Many  species  of  flowers  have  felt  his  transforming  touch. 
Hybrid  lilacs  of  intoxicating  fragrance  and  bewitching  variety 
of  color  and  form  have  come  from  the  famous  house  in  Nancy. 
So,  too,  have  the  most  exquisite  hybrids  of  Philadelphus  and 
Deutzia  which  glorify  our  gardens  in  the  spring.     Gladioli, 


42  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

pelargoniums,  and  begonias  are  but  a  few  more  of  the  species 
which  have  answered  his  demand  for  greater  perfection.  The 
peonies  from  the  house  of  Lemoine  are  of  the  same  marvelous 
quality  as  their  companions  in  that  garden  of  magic. 

Writing  of  the  parentage  and  remarkable  color  of  Solange 
and  La  Lorraine,  Lemoine  says  :  "Solange  has  no  parentage  in 
lutea  or  hybrids  of  lutea.  Possibly  it  has  a  common  ancestor 
with  the  herbaceous  variety.  La  Lorraine,  but  I  have  no  proof 
of  it.  La  Lorraine  was  first  noted  in  1897,  while  Solange  ap- 
peared in  1901." 

In  another  letter  I  read  the  following:  "The  crossing  of 
different  species,  herbaceous  and  woody,  has  not  succeeded, 
with  the  exception  of  the  early  varieties,  Avant  Garde,  Mes- 
sagere,  and  so  forth." 

Here  are  a  few  of  the  loveliest  of  Lemoine's  hybrids  of 
P.  albiflora :  La  France  (Lemoine,  1901)  is  a  tall-growing  free- 
blooming  pink  peony.  Its  exquisite  color  is  close  to  that  of 
Milton  Hill  (Richardson)  and  Venus  (Kelway).  The  large 
rose-type  flowers  are  held  well  above  the  foliage  in  a  striking 
manner.  The  dignity  and  perfection  of  elegance  of  La  France 
are  impressive. 

La  Lorraine  (Lemoine,  1901)  is  magnificent  —  the  word  is 
not  too  strong.  It  is  one  of  the  finest  peonies  originated  by 
Lemoine.  In  height  and  bearing  this  peony  resembles  La 
France.  In  color  —  although  there  is  some  difference  because 
of  the  usual  absence  of  pink  at  its  heart  —  the  flower  resembles 
Solange.  La  Lorraine  grows  to  ravishing  perfection  in  my  gar- 
den. The  large  thick  petals  of  brownish  cream-color  which 
compose  the  enormous  blooms  impelled  me  to  make  this  note  in 
my  garden  book :  "La  Lorraine  is  own  sister  to  Solange  !"  It 
is  somewhat  taller  than  Solange  and  it  has  a  stronger  stem. 
True  healthy  stock  of  this  variety  is  difficult  to  obtain;  but 


FRENCH  AND  ENGLISH  VARIETIES  43 

when  once  the  fortunate  gardener  has  secured  it,  let  him  hold 
it  as  a  priceless  treasure. 

Enchanteresse  (Lemoine,  1903)  :  here  is  another  peony 
which  is  not  sufficiently  well  known.  Tall  and  strong-growing, 
it  bears  on  stout  erect  stems  large  compact  flowers  of  ivory 
white.  The  petals  are  of  good  substance.  The  blooms  in  my 
garden  seldom  show  any  crimson  flecks  in  the  centre,  although 
light  touches  of  red  appear  on  the  guard  petals. 

Sarah  Bernhardt  (Lemoine,  1906)  immediately  attracts  at- 
tention. This  symmetrical  plant  of  medium  height  is  strong- 
growing  and  erect.  It  blossoms  profusely.  The  large  rounded 
flowers  of  semi-rose  type  are  scented,  and  of  a  uniform  hue  of 
mauve-rose  throughout.  The  catalogues  usually  call  it  an  ap- 
ple-blossom pink,  which  is  a  very  fair  description,  but  the  flower 
is  actually  a  shade  or  two  deeper  in  color  than  this  expression 
implies. 

Alsace-Lorraine  (Lemoine,  1906)  :  the  coloring  of  this  peony 
is  unusual.  It  shares  with  La  Lorraine  and  Solange  the  brown- 
ish-cream tint  called  tea-color.  Claude  Gelle  (Lemoine,  1904) 
also  has  a  bit  of  this  rare  coloring.  Alsace-Lorraine  has  me- 
dium-size flat  flowers  with  the  petals  placed  like  those  of  a 
water  lily.  It  is  tall,  vigorous,  floriferous,  and  distinct.  Fre- 
quently I  leave  an  entire  plant  with  all  its  buds  untouched. 
The  lateral  buds  are  graceful  and  charming. 

La  F6e  (Lemoine,  1906)  :  one  of  the  most  delightful  peonies 
in  my  collection  is  La  Fee.  The  sweet-smelling  flower  is  large, 
with  outer  petals  of  a  light  rose  which  softens  down  to  a  white 
centre.  It  is  bewitching  and  fairylike.  The  plant  is  free-bloom- 
ing and  very  tall  —  considerably  over  four  feet  when  well 
grown. 

Primevere  (Lemoine,  1907)  has  been  mentioned  and  briefly 
described  in  Chapter  ii.    It  is  noted  here  again  because  it  is 


44  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

impossible  to  say  too  much  in  praise  of  this  finest  of  the  yellow 
herbaceous  peonies.  The  effort  to  secure  a  good  yellow  is  con- 
stantly being  made.  Peonies  with  varying  degrees  of  yellow 
have  been  produced,  but  the  bright  golden  yellow  of  the  horti- 
culturist's dreams  is  still  far  off.  In  this  connection  an  extract 
from  a  letter  which  I  received  from  M.  Lemoine  three  years 
ago  is  in  point. 

"A  double  herbaceous  peony  of  a  true  yellow  does  not  exist, 
as  far  as  I  know,  and  it  is  hardly  probable  that  it  ever  will 
exist.  If  Pseonia  lutea,  which  is  halfway  between  the  woody 
peonies  and  the  herbaceous  peonies,  had  been  willing  to  be 
crossed  with  the  latter,  as  I  have  so  often  tried  without  success, 
one  would  have  opportunites  to  secure  an  herbaceous  peony  of 
true  yellow.  However,  where  I  have  failed,  it  is  possible  that 
another  may  succeed." 

Coming  from  such  a  source,  this  opinion  has  weight;  but 
efforts  towards  the  goal  will  still  continue,  as  they  should. 
Lemoine  himself  would  be  the  first  to  encourage  them. 

Le  Cygne  (Lemoine,  1907)  :  to  depict  Le  Cygne  most  aptly 
is  to  direct  attention  to  the  name  itself,  for  arranged  like  the 
feathers  on  a  swan's  wing  are  all  the  curving  petals  of  this  as- 
tonishing flower.  Symmetrical,  globular,  of  great  size,  fragrant, 
free-blooming,  and  milk-white,  Le  Cygne  stands  by  itself. 

I  who  love  the  peony  so  dearly,  have  sometimes  wondered 
what  were  M.  Lemoine's  emotions  when,  in  one  year,  he  was 
able  to  present  three  such  masterpieces  as  Primevere,  Le 
Cygne,  and  Solange. 

From  another  of  his  letters  I  quote :  "  .  .  .  this  work  so 
interesting,  which,  if  it  often  gives  more  disappointments  than 
successes,  also  gives  at  times  personal  satisfactions  extremely 
precious." 

In  that  year,  1907,  he  was  more  than  ever  entitled  to  feel 


La  Fee  ( Lemoine,  1906 J 


FRENCH  AND  ENGLISH  VARIETIES  45 

"personal  satisfactions"  in  his  work.  To  such  heights  of  happi- 
ness few  may  cUmb. 

Solange  (Lemoine,  1907)  :  when  the  vision  of  Solange  appears 
before  me,  I  always  feel  it  is  impossible  to  do  it  justice.  Yet 
clear  and  exact  is  the  portrayal  of  Solange  which  I  wrote  two 
years  ago :  "  This  incredibly  beautiful  flower  is  difficult  to  de- 
scribe adequately.  It  is  high-built,  compact,  and  composed  of 
large  thick  petals  which  closely  overlap.  The  color  is  deep  cream, 
tinged  with  amber  throughout,  and  with  a  touch  of  soft  salmon- 
pink  glowing  from  its  heart.  This  rare  coloring,  in  combination 
with  the  heavy  texture  of  the  petalage,  gives  the  bloom  a  ra- 
diance equaled  only  by  pearls  of  finest  Orient." 

Not  without  point  may  its  musical  name  be  freely  inter- 
preted to  mean  "the  chosen  one,"  for  until  the  lover  of  peonies 
knows  Solange  his  life  is  wasted,  bare,  uninteresting,  impover- 
ished, and  lonely  beyond  all  words  to  tell ! 

Alice  Harding  (Lemoine,  1922)  :  at  the  meeting  on  June  8, 
1922,  of  the  Societe  Nationale  d'Horticulture  de  France,  this 
latest  seedling  of  M.  Lemoine's  carried  off  the  honors  as  the 
foremost  herbaceous  peony  of  French  creation  not  yet  in  com- 
merce. I  give  the  originator's  account  of  it:  "Peony  Alice 
Harding  is  very  free-blooming.  It  has  stems  which  are  thick, 
erect,  tall,  and  well  furnished  with  foliage.  It  is  remarkable 
for  the  immense  size  of  the  flowers,  which  have  large  petals 
overlapping  as  in  a  rose.  The  color  is  flesh-white  passing  to 
cream- white."  In  such  modest  words  does  Lemoine  portray  a 
peony  which  was  judged  to  be  in  the  same  class  with  Solange  of 
unspeakable  loveliness  and  Le  Cygne  of  imposing  presence. 
The  roots  are  strong,  clean,  and  healthy,  as  I  noted  with  pleas- 
ure when  I  planted  this  peony  in  October,  1922. 

M.  Lemoine  tells  me  that  he  does  not  expect  to  place  this  new 
variety  in  commerce  until  the  autumn  of  1924. 


46  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

The  rapidly  increasing  interest  in  the  peony  is  stimulating 
efforts  among  other  French  growers  who  have  heretofore  pre- 
sented but  few  seedlings.  Some  of  these  new  peonies  are  ex- 
ceptional, and  a  number  of  them  have  been  under  test  long 
enough  to  give  a  fair  idea  of  their  value.  Here  are  a  few  of  the 
most  notable. 

Mme.  Gaudichau  (Millet,  1909)  is  a  brilliant  dark  red  of 
great  garden  value.  A  note  in  my  garden  book  mentions  the 
"ox-blood  red"  of  Ridgway's  Color  Chart  as  being  nearly  the 
exact  color.  The  bloom  is  somewhat  loosely  built  and  many 
stamens  show.  Quite  as  decorative  as  the  flower  itself  is  the 
foliage,  which,  from  the  moment  it  emerges  from  the  ground, 
rivets  the  attention  by  its  vivid  redness.  Stems  as  well  as  leaves 
have  this  intense  coloring.  As  the  season  advances,  the  upper 
surface  of  the  leaves  becomes  touched  with  bronze ;  the  stems 
remain  red  all  summer.  The  roots  multiply  quickly,  and  the 
plant  is  of  excellent  habit. 

Mme.  Joanne  Sallier  (Paillet)  has  large  blooms  of  good  rose- 
pink  color.  The  flowers  are  held  above  the  foliage  on  strong 
stems.  It  is  attractive  in  the  garden.  The  roots  are  large  and 
strong,  and  increase  well. 

Mme.  Guyot  (Paillet)  is  a  light  yellow  peony,  closely  re- 
sembling Solfatare  in  color  and  form.  The  narrower  central 
petals  make  the  flower  less  beautiful  than  Solfatare  at  its  best. 
On  the  other  hand,  Mme.  Guyot  is  the  more  reliable  bloomer 
and  is  earlier.  Its  color  lasts  no  longer  than  does  that  of  Solfa- 
tare. Except  for  the  two  points  mentioned,  in  my  opinion  it 
would  not  be  worth  retaining  as  a  novelty.  The  roots  —  which 
have  enormous  buds  —  increase  rapidly. 

Mile.  Jeanne  Riviere  (Riviere,  1908)  has  now  been  in  my 
garden  for  several  years.  It  does  not  appeal  to  me  as  being  of  the 
highest  quality  or  distinction. 


FRENCH  AND  ENGLISH  VARIETIES  47 

Mme.  Emile  Dupraz  (Riviere,  1911)  is  a  full  flower  composed 
of  petals  of  medium  size.  The  color  is  an  effective  pink  approach- 
ing somewhat  the  hue  of  Walter  Faxon,  but  deeper  in  tone.  It 
is  a  valuable  acquisition  among  the  pure  pinks  and  for  that 
reason  will  be  much  sought  when  more  widely  known. 

Philippe  Ri voire  (Riviere,  1911)  :  a  conspicuous  addition  to 
the  small  number  of  good  reds  is  Philippe  Rivoire.  In  addition 
to  its  good  form  and  color  this  peony  has  the  fragrance  of  a  tea 
rose.  The  variety  is  a  strong  grower. 

A  number  of  other  seedlings  recently  introduced  by  Riviere 
are  being  offered  in  this  country.  Two  or  three  of  them  are 
promising,  but  must  be  tested  further  before  a  true  estimate  can 
be  made. 

England  has  furnished  only  a  fraction  of  the  meritorious 
peonies  which  we  have  to-day.  Of  that  small  number,  Kelway 
and  Son  of  Langport  have  originated  the  larger  part.  One  has 
but  to  turn  to  their  catalogue  issued  in  1913  to  realize  how  many 
peonies  —  both  herbaceous  and  tree  —  have  been  put  in  com- 
merce by  this  firm.  Unfortunately  not  all  of  the  peonies  named 
and  sent  out  by  Kelway  are  of  the  highest  quality.  But  those 
which  have  passed  the  test  for  excellence  are  truly  remarkable. 
Such  varieties  as  James  Kelway,  Baroness  Schroeder,  and  Venus 
are  in  constant  demand  by  discerning  gardeners,  and  their  names 
may  be  found  in  all  first-class  catalogues  which  list  the  best 
peonies. 

The  more  scarce  and  expensive  varieties  are  usually  found 
only  in  the  catalogues  of  peony  specialists.  As  the  passing 
seasons  have  proved  their  desirability,  several  of  these  peonies 
have  greatly  increased  in  cost. 

Kelway's  Glorious  (Kelway,  1909)  is  an  extremely  large 
peony.  It  is  full  of  glistening  white  petals,  the  outer  edges  of 
which  are  slighty  crinkled  and  curved  inward.     The  outside 


48  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

or  guard  petals  are  faintly  flushed  with  pink,  while  —  as  a  fur- 
ther addition  to  its  deliciousness  —  it  is  fragrant  to  an  unbe- 
lievable degree.  The  roots  of  this  peony  increase  slowly.  So 
lovely  is  the  flower  and  so  scarce  because  of  its  habit  of  leisurely 
root-growth,  that  the  demand  far  exceeds  the  supply.  In  the 
past  few  years  the  price  has  been  raised  by  consecutive  steps 
from  twenty  to  thirty-five  dollars  a  root. 

Lady  Alexandra  Duff  (Kelway,  1902)  :  when  most  lovers  of 
peonies  see  or  write  this  name,  they  cast  a  thought  backward 
to  the  time  when  it  was  difficult  to  get  it  true  to  name.  To 
such  disappointment,  expense,  and  general  annoyance  were  the 
first  importers  of  this  peony  put,  that  they  will  probably  never 
forget  it,  nor  forgive  the  extreme  carelessness  with  which  Lady 
Alexandra  was  sent  out.  After  receiving  and  comparing  about 
nine  different  varieties,  all  labeled  alike,  the  peony  enthusiasts 
in  this  country  finally  decided  upon  one  pink  which  was  thence- 
forth to  be  known  as  the  true  Lady  Alexandra  Duff.  This  is  the 
variety  offered  to-day  by  reliable  growers.  Large,  cup-shaped, 
fragrant,  of  a  sweet  and  gay  coloring  that  is  most  noticeable. 
Lady  Alexandra  Duff  at  last  graces  our  gardens.  Unlike  Glori- 
ous, the  roots  of  this  peony  increase  with  a  fair  degree  of  rapidity, 
and  the  robustness  of  the  plant  in  general  adds  much  to  its  desir- 
ability. 

Kelway 's  Queen  (Kelway,  1909)  Is  another  gorgeous  peony 
which  has  suffered  from  confusion  regarding  its  exact  identity. 
The  true  Queen  is  scarce,  and  at  fifteen  dollars  a  root  the  ama- 
teur wants  to  be  very  sure  of  the  stock  before  purchasing. 

Miss  Sal  way  (Kelway,  1905)  is  still  another  peony  the  true 
stock  of  which  is  hard  to  secure.  At  ten  dollars  a  root,  this 
variety  also  should  be  bought  with  care. 

I  think  that  in  the  matter  of  these  importations  from  Kel- 
way the  growers  in  this  country  are  entitled  to  much  sym- 


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FRENCH  AND  ENGLISH  VARIETIES  49 

pathy.  The  delays,  uncertainties,  and  exasperations  in  the  mat- 
ter of  straightening  out  trueness  are  still  many,  in  spite  of  the 
fact  that  these  peonies  have  been  on  the  market  for  several 
years. 

This  list  of  new  and  scarce  peonies  does  not  by  any  means 
embrace  all  that  are  offered,  or  are  available  to  the  enthusiastic 
garden-maker ;  but  it  is  intended  to  be  a  guide  in  selecting  pe- 
onies not  commonly  seen  in  gardens,  with  frank  notes  of  criti- 
cism from  one  who  has  spent  much  effort  to  secure  the  best  and 
most  interesting  specimens. 


LOCATION  AND  SOIL 

Quite  as  important  in  the  little  garden  as  in  the  big  one  is 
the  selection  of  a  suitable  location  for  the  peony. 

Open  sunlight  or  light  shade  for  a  part  of  each  day  is  neces- 
sary to  a  full  development  of  the  plants. 

Many  a  little  garden  contains  at  least  one  peach-tree.  Some- 
times there  are  several.  In  my  own  experience  I  have  found  that 
peach  trees  make  ideal  protection  for  peonies.  The  roots  of  peach 
trees  are  not  too  greedy ;  they  do  not  spread  out  and  occupy 
every  available  foot  of  ground  between  the  trees :  consequently 
sufficient  nourishment  and  moisture  are  left  for  the  support  of 
the  peonies.  Peach  trees  planted  twenty  or  twenty-five  feet  apart 
each  way,  the  usual  distance  in  an  orchard,  do  not  exclude  sunlit 
spaces.  The  shade  of  a  peach  tree  is  not  too  dense  at  any  time, 
and  the  small  area  of  shadow  cast  by  each  tree  shifts  with  the 
progress  of  the  sun.  Thus  enough  sunlight  is  allowed  to  reach 
the  plants.  At  the  same  time  this  protection  tempers  the  intense 
heat  which  comes  —  too  often  —  just  when  our  finest  peonies 
are  at  their  height,  and  saves  the  delicate  colors  from  being 
bleached  out  to  an  uninteresting  white. 

Many  of  the  choicest  peonies  have  pale  tints  upon  which 
they  depend  not  only  for  their  beauty  but  also  for  their  differ- 
entiation from  other  light-colored  varieties  of  the  same  type. 
As  soon  as  this  tinting  is  destroyed,  the  flower  resembles  a  hun- 
dred others,  and  its  chief  claim  to  distinction  is  gone. 

The  light  moving  shadow  cast  by  these  small  fruit-trees  is 
therefore  excellent  for  peonies.  Then,  too,  the  peach  trees  are 
cultivated  regularly,  which  is  helpful,  and  the  combination  of 


LOCATION  AND  SOIL  51 

peaches  and  peonies  is  suitable  because  peaches  also  thrive  and 
give  extra  fine  and  deliciously  juicy  fruit  when  planted  in  clay 
soil.  This  planting  on  our  place  is  most  successful.  Thousands 
of  blooms  are  cut  from  these  peonies  each  year. 

In  a  little  garden,  if  there  can  be  no  opportunity  of  utilizing 
even  a  few  peaches,  other  trees  should  be  avoided  as  near  neigh- 
bors of  the  peony.  They  are  usually  trees  such  as  maples, 
beeches,  and  oaks,  which  are  grown  and  valued  for  their  foliage 
and  shade.  This  shade  is  usually  both  constant  and  heavy.  The 
roots  of  these  trees  are  notoriously  omnivorous. 

Planted  a  short  distance  from  shrubs  or  buildings,  the  peonies 
can  secure  shelter  from  the  full  sunlight  for  a  brief  part  of  each 
day.  Very  rare  and  delicately  beautiful  varieties  should  be 
provided  with  individual  protection  from  the  sun,  or  else  they 
should  be  opened  in  the  house. 

Next  to  location  in  reference  to  sunlight  and  shade,  should 
be  considered  location  in  respect  to  moisture.  Peonies  must 
have  good  drainage.  While  there  should  be  sufficient  moisture 
in  the  ground  to  keep  the  plants  in  condition  to  produce  flowers, 
it  is  extremely  undesirable  that  there  should  be  an  excess  of 
moisture.  Without  being  actually  wet,  it  is  astonishing  how 
easily  the  soil  can  hold  more  water  than  is  good  for  the  peony 
root.  If  the  gardener  is  forced  to  choose  between  a  location  that 
is  too  dry  and  one  that  is  too  moist,  —  as  might  easily  be  the 
case  in  the  limited  area  of  a  little  garden,  —  the  choice  should 
be  in  favor  of  the  drier  spot.  There  the  ground  can  be  deeply 
prepared,  and  water  can  be  given  at  the  necessary  times.  But 
too  much  water  constantly  in  the  ground  will  weaken  the  roots, 
and  eventually  they  will  dwindle  and  rot  away. 

Another  point  to  be  mentioned  is  the  fact  that  peonies  planted 
upon  low-lying  land  —  usually  insufficiently  drained  —  are  in 
danger  of  being  heaved  out  of  the  ground  each  winter  by  the  frost. 


52  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

A  place  in  the  open  border  will  suit  the  peony  in  the  little 
garden.  If  it  is  a  division,  or  a  small  one-year  plant,  care  should 
be  taken  that  it  is  not  crowded  or  overshadowed  by  large  plants 
already  well  established. 

A  clay  loam  is  ideal  for  securing  abundant  and  well-colored 
flowers  from  the  peony.  The  clay  soil  is  full  of  rich  food,  and 
is  retentive  of  moisture.  If  it  is  too  stiff  to  be  handled  easily, 
it  may  be  Hghtened  by  the  addition  of  humus  and  lime  or  sifted 
coal-ashes. 

Lime  is  extremely  valuable  in  the  preparation  of  the  soil  for 
the  garden.  In  the  first  place,  it  effects  a  great  mechanical  im- 
provement in  heavy  ground.  It  breaks  up  the  small  particles, 
and  reduces  the  tendency  of  the  clay  to  become  lumpy.  At  the 
same  time  it  sweetens  the  soil,  and  corrects  the  acid  condition 
of  land  that  has  been  neglected  or  overfed  with  manures.  Lime 
also  liberates  a  supply  of  mineral  food  in  the  earth,  which  is 
locked  beyond  the  reach  of  plant  roots  until  the  lime  sets  it 
free.  A  piece  of  ground  which  is  being  newly  prepared  for  a 
peony  bed  can  be  well  limed  with  safety,  if  the  application  is 
made  several  weeks  before  the  roots  are  planted.  Peonies  are 
not  great  lovers  of  lime.  They  require  only  enough  to  keep  the 
soil  from  becoming  sour ;  more  than  that  is  apt  to  prove  detri- 
mental. The  reason  for  this  may  be  that  the  excess  of  mineral 
food  released  by  the  lime,  in  addition  to  the  fertilizers  ordinarily 
used,  is  an  embarrassment  of  riches  for  the  peonies.  It  is  possible 
to  have  the  soil  too  rich  for  their  good. 

By  the  same  token,  more  lime  may  be  used  on  poor  soil  than 
on  good  soil.  In  other  words  :  it  is  not  alone  the  lime  as  such 
but  the  action  of  the  lime  on  the  soil,  which  must  be  taken  into 
consideration.  This  distinction  may  explain  the  difference  of 
opinion  as  to  the  benefits  from  using  lime. 

If  the  soil  is  sufl&ciently  sweet  but  is  too  heavy  for  easy  ma- 


LOCATION  AND  SOIL  53 

nipulation,  the  addition  of  sifted  hard-coal  ashes  is  desirable. 

I  wish  to  say  a  few  words  here  in  favor  of  the  too  often  scorned 
hard-coal  ashes.  Opinion  as  to  their  virtue  or  bane  in  the  garden 
differs  greatly.  Indeed,  a  lively  and  enlightening  argument  may 
be  easily  aroused  by  tossing  this  dusty  apple  of  discord  into  the 
conversation  of  practical  gardeners.  Why  —  the  pros  and  cons 
of  coal  ashes  have  even  been  known  to  break  friendships  among 
dahlia  enthusiasts ! 

The  soil  on  our  place  is  a  heavy  clay  loam.  Some  portions 
were  all  clay  until  I  supplied  the  loam.  The  old  vegetable- 
garden,  which  is  now  devoted  entirely  to  flowers,  was  as  friable 
and  mellow  as  a  cement  floor  when  I  first  took  it  in  hand.  The 
alternate  use  of  green  crops  spaded  under  and  heavy  applica- 
tions of  finely  sifted  hard-coal  ashes  have  wrought  a  remark- 
able change.  Stable  manure  was  used  in  connection  with  the 
green  crops.  Occasional  applications  of  limestone  were  made. 
In  addition,  every  two  or  three  years  I  have  had  a  big  wire 
screen  set  up  on  this  plot  in  the  autumn.  Every  pound  of  coal- 
ashes  from  the  furnace  has  been  sifted  there  and  immediately 
spread  upon  the  soil,  to  be  deeply  spaded  in  early  in  the  spring. 
The  mechanical  improvement  of  this  piece  of  heavy  clay  soil  is 
nothing  short  of  amazing.  The  earth  does  not  bake  any  more. 
Even  during  a  dry  spell  the  gardeners  find  no  difficulty  in  pulling 
weeds.  The  soil  is  in  excellent  tilth. 

Wood  ashes  also  will  keep  the  ground  porous.  But  in  this 
part  of  the  country  wood  ashes  may  now  be  called  more  or 
less  a  luxury,  to  be  used  with  economy  as  a  fertilizer  and  not 
in  the  wholesale  way  necessary  to  prepare  a  piece  of  land.  If 
the  owner  of  the  little  garden  is  so  fortunate  as  to  possess  open 
fireplaces  with  hardwood  to  burn  therein,  he  has  a  supply  of 
a  material  which  is  valuable  in  many  ways.  No  wood  ash 
should  be  wasted.  It  should  be  covered  and  kept  dry  until  used. 


54  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

When  I  am  camping  in  the  Canadian  woods,  the  amount 
of  fine  hardwood  which  is  unavoidably  wasted  there  makes  me 
sad.  The  sight  of  many  great  trees  thrown  to  the  floor  of  the 
forest  by  the  winter  storms  and  left  to  decay,  though  still  sound 
and  fit  to  furnish  many  a  joyous  open  fire,  really  hurts.  A  good 
big  woodpile,  neatly  sawed  and  stacked,  is  ever  in  my  garden's 
background.  Every  winter  I  have  more  wood  prepared  and 
stored  to  season,  and  every  winter  I  make  a  mental  calculation 
of  the  many  cheerful  fires  upon  the  hearth  and  the  many  barrels 
of  fertilizer  this  doubly  precious  wood  will  provide  me. 

After  the  lime  and  coal  ashes  have  been  added  to  the  heavy 
clay  earth,  the  next  thing  to  think  about  is  the  humus.  Humus 
is  decayed  vegetable-matter.  Not  only  heavy  clay,  but  sandy  or 
very  light  soils  are  in  need  of  humus.  It  helps  to  make  the  clay 
soil  crumbly  and  workable.  It  renders  sandy  or  light  soil  more 
compact  and  retentive  of  precious  moisture. 

For  the  production  of  roots  a  light  soil  is  good,  for  then  the 
roots  increase  rapidly.  But  in  the  little  garden  flowers  are 
wanted,  and  for  the  production  of  peony  blooms  in  light  or 
sandy  soils  humus  is  vitally  necessary. 

In  a  large  space  humus  can  be  secured  by  ploughing  in  green 
crops,  such  as  buckwheat  and  rye.  Both  of  these  grow  well  on 
poor  soil.  On  a  small  piece  of  ground  buckwheat  can  be  planted 
twice  in  one  summer,  and  deeply  spaded  in  as  soon  as  it  begins 
to  bloom.  The  improvement  in  soil  which  has  had  this  treat- 
ment is  astonishing.  Occasionally  it  is  necessary  to  add  humus  to 
an  old  peony-bed.  Buckwheat  can  be  sowed  between  the  plants 
and  turned  under.  For  this  purpose  it  is  far  better  than  manure 
which,  except  in  liquid  form,  I  keep  entirely  away  from  my  pe- 
onies. Buckwheat  has  another  virtue  :  it  chokes  and  discourages 
weeds. 

In  the  first  preparation  of  a  field  or  a  garden,  or  even  a  flower 


LOCATION  AND  SOIL  55 

bed,  plenty  of  manure  may  be  applied.  This  will  feed  the  green 
crops,  if  there  are  to  be  any.  If  manure  alone  is  to  be  used  to 
improve  the  ground,  it  should  be  put  on  several  months  before 
the  peony  roots  are  planted.  It  then  has  the  opportunity  to  rot 
thoroughly  and  become  well  mixed  with  the  soil.  The  damage 
to  peonies  from  the  use  of  manure  is  thus  lessened. 

Deep  preparation  of  the  soil  is  necessary  for  the  best  growth 
of  the  peony.  When  one  remembers  that  the  eyes  at  the  top  of 
the  root  are  to  be  placed  three  inches  below  the  surface,  and  that 
the  rest  of  the  root  —  measuring  from  six  to  eight  or  more 
inches  —  is  usually  below  the  eyes,  the  reason  for  deep  prepara- 
tion is  at  once  apparent.  Here  is  a  foot  of  depth  well  occupied 
at  the  very  outset.  Strong-growing  varieties  will  extend  their 
roots  rapidly  in  a  friendly  soft  soil.  Festiva  Maxima,  for  in- 
stance, frequently  has  roots  measuring  from  eighteen  to  twenty- 
four  inches  on  a  healthy  four-year  plant.  It  is  a  task  to  lift  them 
without  breakage. 

Occasionally  peonies  are  set  in  beds  which  have  been  pre- 
pared to  a  depth  of  two  and  a  half  or  three  feet,  according  to 
one's  purposes  and  enthusiasm.  These  deep  beds  or  trenches 
should  be  filled  with  good  topsoil.  If  they  are  for  immediate 
use,  manure  should  be  withheld  and  the  topsoil  should  be 
mixed  with  well-rotted  compost  instead.  If  the  beds  are  not  to 
receive  the  peonies  for  several  months  then  manure  may  be 
safely  incorporated.  This  method  of  planting  in  trenches  entails 
so  much  work  that  it  should  be  used  only  when  the  peonies  are 
destined  to  stay  in  one  place. 

The  commercial  grower  has  conditions  totally  diflFerent  from 
the  amateur's  to  think  of  in  his  planting.  In  the  first  place,  the 
large  fields  required  to  accommodate  his  stock  could  be  prepared 
in  this  way  only  at  great  expense.  And  in  the  second  place,  such 
an  expenditure  of  time  and  labor  in  any  but  a  private  garden, 


56  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

or  a  special  planting  for  exhibition,  would  be  wasteful  and  ab- 
surd. The  nurseryman  keeps  his  roots  in  the  ground  only  for  the 
brief  period  between  division  and  sale,  or  division  and  the  time 
for  the  next  division  —  and  I  may  add  that  that  term  appears  to 
be  growing  briefer  and  briefer ! 

It  is  true,  however,  that  the  roots  of  well-established  peonies 
grow  to  great  bulk  and  length  in  deeply  prepared  soil,  and  they 
give  blossoms  of  corresponding  size  and  beauty.  I  have  in  mind 
a  certain  root  of  the  variety,  Comte  de  Paris.  This  old  plant  had 
been  in  one  place  for  a  number  of  years,  and  some  of  its  roots 
actually  measured  three  and  one  half  feet. 

To  those  experienced  gardeners  who  habitually  make  trenches 
two  feet  in  depth  for  their  sweet  peas,  a  mere  annual,  there  is 
nothing  startling  in  this  suggestion  of  deep  preparation  of  the 
soil  for  a  perennial  of  such  long  life  as  the  peony.  The  making 
of  trenches  from  two  to  three  feet  deep  is  an  assurance  of  fine 
blooms. 

In  my  garden  there  are  fourteen  such  trenches,  all  from  two 
to  three  feet  deep,  and  all  containing  fine  topsoil.  Several  of 
them  have  a  foot  of  stones  in  the  bottom.  They  are  of  varying 
shapes  and  sizes.  Some  are  oblong,  fourteen  feet  by  four  feet 
or  fourteen  feet  by  six  feet.  Others  are  long  and  narrow,  twenty- 
four  feet  by  three  feet.  The  largest  one  of  all  is  one  hundred 
feet  long  by  sixteen  feet  wide  by  two  feet  nine  inches  deep.  It  is 
filled  entirely  with  the  richest  topsoil  that  the  place  affords. 

During  the  eleven  years  in  which  I  have  used  these  trenches, 
the  abundance  and  quality  of  the  flowers  of  various  kinds  grown 
in  them  have  satisfied  me  completely  as  to  their  value  in  the 
technique  of  good  gardening. 


VI 
PLANTING,  CULTIVATING,  AND  FERTILIZING 

Among  able  gardeners  the  consensus  of  opinion  is  that  peonies 
are  best  planted  in  the  fall.  September  and  October  are  the 
months  generally  agreed  upon  as  the  most  propitious.  Mid- 
September  is  the  opening  of  the  planting  season  in  my  garden. 
Before  that  time  the  buds  on  the  roots  are  not  likely  to  be  fully 
formed. 

Planting  can  be  continued  as  long  as  the  ground  is  fit  to  be 
worked,  but  peonies  set  out  late  in  the  autumn  do  not  have  the 
opportunity  to  become  settled  and  to  put  forth  new  roots  before 
the  freezing  weather  overtakes  them.  If  they  are  loose  in  the 
ground,  they  may  be  heaved  out  by  the  frost.  Both  heaving  and 
immature  root -buds  affect  the  quality  and  quantity  of  bloom  the 
following  year. 

Spring  planting  has  been  well  tested  out  by  cultivators  of 
wide  experience,  and  almost  unanimously  condemned  because  of 
the  unavoidable  disturbance  of  the  early -waking  roots.  Occa- 
sionally a  voice  is  raised  in  its  favor,  and  some  scattering  cata- 
logues advertise  peonies  for  sale  for  either  fall  or  spring  planting. 

I  suppose  that  the  occasional  voice  has  some  special  or  per- 
sonal reason  for  its  endorsement.  And  I  presume  that  the  firms 
approving  of  this  technique  also  have  special  reasons.  But  the 
reasons,  whatever  they  are,  do  not  include  the  well-being  of  the 
peony.  Certainly  there  is  no  law  against  spring  planting.  But  to 
my  mind  and  in  the  opinion  of  many  other  devotees,  it  is  a  mis- 
take to  plant  peonies  in  the  spring. 

The  ground  where  peonies  are  to  be  planted  should,  if  it  is  a 


58  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

possible  thing,  be  made  ready  several  months  in  advance.  Par- 
ticularly is  this  necessary  if  unusually  deep  preparation  of  the 
soil  is  made ;  for  the  divisions  or  newly  set  plants  will  sink  with 
the  settling  soil,  and  the  same  effect  as  that  of  too  deep  planting 
will  be  the  result. 

In  ground  that  is  fully  settled  and  really  ready,  then,  the  roots 
should  be  placed  so  that  the  topmost  eyes  will  be  between  two 
and  three  inches  below  the  level  of  the  finished  bed.  This  is  the 
rule  for  a  clay  loam.  In  soils  that  are  light  they  may  be  planted 
as  deep  as  three  or  three  and  a  half  inches. 

Planting  that  is  too  shallow  has  several  disadvantages.  The 
roots  are  quickly  heaved  out  of  the  ground  by  frost.  The  earth 
is  more  easily  washed  from  them  by  heavy  rains,  and  thus  ex- 
posed, they  rot  rapidly.  Cultivation  of  the  plant  is  more  likely 
to  injure  the  crowns  if  they  are  shallowly  placed.  Again,  the 
crown  of  the  peony  naturally  pushes  upward  as  the  plant  grows 
older,  so  that  in  time  an  old  root  is  often  flush  with  the  surface 
and  has  to  be  covered.  If  the  root  is  originally  planted  too  high, 
this  condition  is  hastened. 

On  the  other  hand,  planting  that  is  too  deep  is  one  of  the 
causes  of  shy -blooming  in  the  peony,  and  for  that  reason  should 
be  shunned.  Careful  attention  to  the  placing  of  the  roots  at  the 
proper  depth  means  that  some  thought  should  be  given  in  each 
case  to  the  quality  of  the  soil. 

Divisions  that  are  very  small  should  not  be  planted  as  deeply 
as  standard  divisions  or  one-year  roots.  A  depth  of  two  inches  is 
ample.  Indeed,  such  tiny  pieces  should  receive  extra  care,  for 
not  only  have  they  —  like  the  others  —  suffered  the  shock  of 
division,  but  being  small,  they  have  less  strength  and  food  in 
reserve  upon  which  to  call  until  they  are  established.  If  these 
little  divisions  are  of  rare  and  expensive  varieties,  as  they  are 
most  likely  to  be,  they  may  well  be  placed  for  the  first  year  or 


PLANTING,  CULTIVATING,  FERTILIZING       59 

two  of  their  life  in  a  cold-frame,  or  in  some  carefully  shielded  and 
well-drained  spot.  As  the  size  of  the  new  roots  sent  out  by  the 
dealers  becomes  smaller  and  smaller,  so  must  the  skill  of  the 
amateur  who  receives  them  become  greater  and  greater,  if  he  is 
to  save  his  precious  purchases. 

Another  important  matter  is  the  avoidance  of  sites  where 
peonies  have  been  previously  planted.  In  such  places  the  soil  is 
usually  exhausted.  This  is  bound  to  be  the  case  if  the  first  ten- 
ant has  been  there  for  several  years.  Unless  the  old  soil  is  re- 
moved and  fresh  rich  earth  put  in,  the  new  plant,  even  if  it 
manages  to  survive,  frequently  fails  to  succeed.  I  mentioned  this 
point  in  The  Booh  of  the  Peony  several  years  ago,  and  I  have 
always  stressed  it  in  talks  I  have  given.  It  is  a  pleasure  to  note 
that  many  of  the  professional  growers  are,  in  their  catalogues, 
laying  special  emphasis  upon  the  fact.  Here  is  a  little  detail  that 
may  stand  between  failure  and  success. 

If  a  number  of  peony  roots  are  to  be  planted,  they  should 
not  be  closer  to  one  another  than  two  and  a  half  or  three  feet. 
If  ground  can  be  spared,  or  if  only  a  few  specimens  are  to  go  into 
the  garden,  a  greater  distance  may  be  left  to  advantage.  Four 
or  even  five  feet  between  roots  which  are  to  remain  permanently 
in  position  is  not  too  much  to  allow  for  growth  and  spreading. 

The  first  winter  after  setting  out  the  roots  or  divisions  of  or- 
dinary size,  they  should  be  mulched  (covered)  to  prevent  their 
heaving  out  of  the  ground  through  alternate  freezing  and  thaw- 
ing. After  the  first  season,  winter  protection  of  the  peony  is 
unnecessary  except  in  the  case  of  tiny  divisions  or  young  seed- 
lings. It  is  well  to  guard  these  with  a  winter  covering  for  two 
or  even  three  years. 

Salt  hay,  straw,  cornstalks,  and  leaves  (not  peony  foliage)  are 
all  good  materials  with  which  to  mulch.  Whichever  one  is  used 
should  be  put  on  after  the  first  hard  freezing  of  the  ground. 


60  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

Manure  is  a  deadly  thing  to  apply  as  a  mulch  for  peonies.  It 
is  still  advised  and  still  employed  by  some  gardeners  for  this  pur- 
pose, but  I  think  that  their  number  is  decreasing  as  their  experi- 
ence widens.  It  is  entirely  possible  to  use  manure  freely  and  with 
apparent  safety  for  several  years.  And  then,  some  fine  day,  it  is 
entirely  probable  that  the  insouciant  gardener  may  find  his 
peonies  the  prey  of  wilt  and  rot  and  blight !  These  afilictions 
will  then  have  to  be  fought  for  a  longer  or  shorter  period  of  time 
until  all  the  festive  little  fungus-spores,  so  hospitably  fostered  by 
the  manure,  have  been  conquered.  Solid  manure  never  touches 
my  peonies.  They  are  protected  and  fed  by  other  materials. 

While  manure  is  a  favorite  resting-  and  breeding-place  for 
fungus  growths,  it  is  not  the  only  one.  The  dead  leaves  and  stems 
of  the  peony  itself,  if  left  to  mould  and  rot  upon  the  ground  each 
winter,  are  a  fertile  source  of  trouble.  For  this  reason,  each  fall  as 
the  peony  foliage  ripens  in  my  garden  it  is  cut  off  and  relentlessly 
burned.  That  is  a  big  task,  too,  for  the  stalks  are  not  dry  enough 
to  make  good  fuel.  None  the  less,  burn  they  must ;  and  rubbish, 
old  pieces  of  wood,  anything  that  will  burn  freely,  is  mixed  with 
them.  With  a  dash  of  kerosene  added,  the  auto-da-fe  begins. 

Early  in  the  spring  the  peonies  which  were  planted  and 
mulched  the  previous  fall  should  be  examined.  The  covering 
should  be  removed  in  good  time.  Even  the  innocuous  salt-hay 
or  cornstalks  can  cause  trouble  if  left  on  the  beds  too  long  under 
the  warm  rays  of  the  spring  sun.  Therefore,  the  moment  that  the 
peonies  show  their  "dear  rosy  snouts,"  as  my  friend,  Miss  Jekyll, 
calls  them,  the  mulch  must  be  promptly  and  carefully  removed. 

As  soon  as  the  ground  is  dry  enough  to  handle,  the  peony  beds 
should  be  thoroughly  cultivated.  Constant  and  conscientious 
cultivation  all  season  long  brings  many  rewards.  In  this  way 
moisture  is  conserved  in  the  soil,  weeds  cannot  steal  food  from 
the  flowers,  any  added  fertilizer  is  thoroughly  incorporated  with 


PLANTING,  CULTIVATING,  FERTILIZING       61 

the  earth,  ant  nests  are  broken  up  and  rose  bugs  have  no  chance 
at  all  to  bring  up  their  children ! 

An  urgent  reason  for  the  early  cultivation  of  peonies  is  the  oc- 
casional presence  of  the  May  beetle  (Melolontha  vulgaris)  in  the 
ground.  These  large  predacious  beetles  hibernate  in  the  soil, 
and  become  active  with  the  first  vernal  impulses.  Hungry  after 
the  winter's  fast,  they  are  capable  of  doing  great  damage  to 
peony  roots  as  well  as  to  other  plants.  When  cultivation  has  been 
unduly  delayed  I  have  known  them  to  gnaw  around  and  com- 
pletely destroy  large  pieces  of  peony  crown. 

The  use  of  fertilizers  to  secure  more  and  larger  blossoms  is  the 
subject  of  constant  testing  for  all  flowers.  But  just  now  the  fer- 
tilization of  peonies  seems  to  be  in  a  perfect  fever  of  experiment. 

Three  necessary  elements  for  the  growth  of  all  plants  are 
nitrogen  which  feeds  the  leaves,  phosphorus  which  feeds  the 
stems,  and  potash,  which  is  the  chief  source  of  food  for  the  flow- 
ers and  fruit. 

The  simplest  plan  for  providing  these  in  the  garden  is  by  spad- 
ing in  green  crops  or  manure  for  nitrogen,  bone  meal  for  phos- 
phorus, and  wood  ashes  for  potash.  These  applications  are 
nature's  own  way  of  fertilizing,  slightly  accelerated.  For  the 
spaded  green-crops  are  but  another  form  of  the  rotted  leaves  of 
trees  or  grass,  the  bone  meal  but  a  quick  return  to  earth  of  the 
animal  life  upon  it,  and  the  wood  ashes  but  a  concentrated  appli- 
cation of  the  alkali  salts  contained  within  the  earth  itself. 

Manure,  which  is  richest  in  nitrogen,  is  of  special  value  be- 
cause it  stimulates  the  beneficent  bacteria  in  the  soil.  And  while 
solid  manure  is  generally  unsafe  for  immediate  use  with  peonies, 
because  it  is  so  genial  a  host  to  undesirable  spores,  the  gardener 
gets  around  that  diflSculty  by  using  manure  in  liquid  form. 

I  have  used,  and  occasionally  still  do  use,  commercial  fer- 
tilizers —  phosphoric  acid,  muriate  of  potash,  nitrate  of  soda, 


62  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

sulphate  of  iron,  and  other  chemicals  —  in  connection  with  the 
culture  of  the  peony ;  but  I  am  convinced  that  such  fertilization 
is  easily  overdone  and  that  concentrated  chemicals,  as  well  as 
manure,  should  be  employed  with  the  greatest  restraint.  Al- 
though growers  and  dealers  in  their  catalogues  and  planting  in- 
structions seldom  mention  it,  the  fact  remains  —  as  I  have 
already  pointed  out  —  that  the  soil  can  readily  be  made  too 
rich  for  the  peony. 

Green  crops,  bone  meal,  and  wood  ashes  are  slower  than  most 
commercial  fertilizers  in  giving  results,  but  they  are  much  safer 
and  therefore  more  desirable  in  the  long  run.  Even  these 
"natural"  fertilizers  must  be  used  with  care.  Either  bone  meal 
or  wood  ashes  will  burn  the  roots  if  allowed  to  come  into  contact 
with  them.  Wood  ashes  are  particularly  valuable  to  use  on 
peonies,  because  the  caustic  eflFect  of  both  the  potash  and  the 
lime  contained  therein  tends  to  keep  the  soil  sweet  and  ward  off 
fungous  growths ;  but  they  should  be  raked  or  stirred  into  the 
soil  only  after  the  root  is  protected  by  a  layer  of  earth. 

Every  once  in  a  while  I  read  some  letter  or  article  in  which 
the  writer  protests  against  the  disbudding  of  peonies. 

Disbudding  is  the  technical  word  for  removing  the  lateral  or 
side  buds  from  a  peony  stalk.  The  result  of  taking  off  these  buds 
is  an  increased  size  of  the  flower  coming  from  the  terminal  bud 
which  has  been  allowed  to  remain.  Certain  varieties  are  undeni- 
ably more  decorative  if  left  to  produce  sprays  of  small  flowers 
instead  of  one  big  blossom  on  each  stem.  Peonies  which  show 
many  stamens.  La  Rosiere  for  example,  are  specially  charming 
grown  in  this  way.  So  are  the  single  varieties.  As  a  general  prac- 
tice, however,  most  peony  enthusiasts  prefer  to  secure  large 
blooms.  There  is  no  doubt  that  size  is  an  impressive  feature  in 
the  general  appearance  of  a  peony.  Therefore  the  side  or  lateral 
buds  may  be  removed  while  they  are  still  very  small,  in  order 


PLANTING,  CULTIVATING,  FERTILIZING       63 

that  their  strength  may  be  diverted  into  the  end  or  terminal 
bud.  If  show  flowers  are  wanted,  still  greater  strength  and  size 
may  be  obtained  for  them  by  cutting  or  pinching  off  some  of  the 
weaker  shoots  of  the  plant  when  they  are  a  few  inches  above 
ground  in  the  spring. 

It  is  probable  that  there  are  seldom  two  or  three  peony-lovers 
gathered  together  without  discussion  of  rose  bugs  —  their  ubiq- 
uitousness,  their  sins,  and  their  possible  eradication.  Several 
prepared  remedies  are  offered  for  sale,  but  I  have  yet  to  hear 
enthusiastic  approval  of  any  of  them  except  by  the  salesmen. 

A  fellow  gardener  in  Connecticut  has  solved  the  rose-bug  prob- 
lem to  her  own  satisfaction.  She  finds  that  one  ounce  of  powdered 
sulphate  of  iron  to  each  square  yard  of  surface,  well  worked  into 
the  ground  once  a  month,  after  either  a  good  rain  or  a  good  wet- 
ting with  the  hose,  will  at  once  decrease  the  number  of  rose  bugs. 
If  this  treatment  is  continued  for  three  successive  seasons,  she 
finds  that  no  more  rose  bugs  will  appear. 

I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  value  of  this  remedy  lies  in  the 
regular  and  thorough  stirring  of  the  soil.  The  young  of  the  rose- 
chafer,  when  in  the  pupal  stage,  lie  near  the  surface  of  the  ground. 
At  that  period  of  their  development  the  slightest  disturbance 
kills  them.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the  treatment  recommended  has 
two  certain  advantages  in  addition  to  the  frequent  cultivation : 
one  is  that  there  is  no  nasty  spray  to  touch  the  flowers,  and  the 
other  is  that  sulphate  of  iron  is  a  stimulant  to  the  roots  of  the 
peonies,  and  an  agent  of  no  mean  power  in  increasing  the  depth 
of  color  in  the  flowers. 

Ants  are  another  annoyance  in  the  garden,  and  although  the 
damage  they  do  is  so  indirect  that  it  is  not  always  laid  to  their 
account,  it  is  none  the  less  real,  and  it  is  often  serious.  Spores  of 
fungoid  growths  are  carried  by  ants  from  one  plant  to  another. 
This  fact  has  been  made  a  subject  of  careful  experiment  and 


64  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

undeniable  proof.  Large  numbers  of  ants,  seeking  the  honey- 
like substance  on  peony  buds,  are  able  to  do  untold  mischief. 
And  while  they  disappear  to  a  large  extent  after  the  buds  have 
expanded  and  the  "honey"  is  gone,  yet  if  disease  is  present  in 
the  near  neighborhood,  it  was  probably  well  spread  by  them 
before  they  left. 

The  orchard  orioles  destroy  many  ants.  The  old  apple-trees 
near  our  house  are  favorite  nesting-places  each  year  for  these 
lovely  birds.  Frequently  I  see  an  oriole  swaying  on  a  big  peony- 
stalk  while  he  lunches  heartily  upon  ants.  But  the  birds  cannot 
kill  all  of  these  countless  insects.  We  must  help,  too. 

Several  years  ago  Dr.  Huey,  the  famous  rosarian,  told  me  to 
pour  boiling  water  into  the  ants'  nests  whenever  I  found  them. 
We  do  this  in  my  garden  every  year.  It  is  not  a  permanent  cure, 
but  it  very  noticeably  depletes  the  hordes  of  mischief  makers. 
Occasionally  I  meet  one  of  the  gardeners  hurrying  triumphantly 
along  a  path  with  a  steaming  teakettle  in  his  hands.  Then  a  de- 
tour to  the  back  of  the  house  brings  to  view  an  angry  cook  stand- 
ing in  the  doorway  and  muttering  maledictions  !  This  rape  of  the 
teakettle  almost  precipitates  internecine  strife  at  times.  For  the 
cook  thinks  of  the  garden  only  as  a  pleasant  place  wherein  the 
mistress  of  the  house  indulges  an  unaccountable  taste  for  hard 
work,  while  the  gardener  regards  the  house  as  a  mere  appendage 
of  the  garden  —  a  place  of  refuge  during  storms,  and  a  temporary 
shelter  each  night  until  the  real  business  of  life  —  which  is  to 
garden  —  may  be  resumed  again  in  the  morning. 

One  of  them  is  entirely  right  —  but  I  shall  not  say  here  which 
it  is.  It  might  not  be  politic ;  for,  after  all,  I  need  both  the  garden 
and  the  house  for  my  happiness  and  my  comfort. 


VII 
ROOT-DIVISION  AND  SEEDLINGS 

When  a  root  is  divided,  each  division  will  be  of  the  same  vari- 
ety and  produce  the  same  kind  of  flowers  as  the  original  root. 
The  only  way  to  increase  plants  of  any  given  variety  of  P.  albi- 
flora  is  by  division. 

The  plants  which  grow  from  seeds  show  characteristics  of 
their  two  lines  of  ancestors.  It  is  from  such  plants  —  or  seed- 
lings as  they  are  usually  called  —  that  new  peonies  are  selected 
and  introduced. 

The  object  of  division  is  to  secure  as  many  strong  pieces  (more 
plants)  of  the  root  as  possible.  These  pieces,  because  they  are 
furnished  with  "eyes"  (or  root  buds)  to  provide  foliage  and 
fleshy  roots  to  provide  nourishment,  will  in  turn  and  in  time 
themselves  become  large  roots,  fit  for  further  division. 

The  proper  division  of  peony  roots  is  not  yet  generally  under- 
stood by  the  amateur  gardener.  In  a  recently  reprinted  book  on 
gardening  I  read  instructions  to  divide  the  large  clumps  with  a 
spade !  While  it  is  true  that  the  finest  art  of  dividing  a  peony 
root  is  not  commonly  known,  I  had  hoped  that  the  advice  to  use 
the  spade,  which  is  inevitably  damaging  and  wasteful,  had  been 
discarded. 

Pieces  which  have  three,  four,  or  five  eyes,  with  the  proper 
accompaniment  of  root,  are  of  sufficient  size  and  strength  to  bear 
the  shock  which  division  entails,  and  yet  they  are  small  enough 
to  be  economical.  For  instance,  a  large  root  ready  for  division 
may  show  —  let  us  say  —  twenty  eyes.  With  care  in  the  cutting, 
from  five  to  seven  strong  pieces  may  be  obtained,  depending 


66  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

somewhat  upon  the  formation  of  that  particular  root.  As  the 
amateur  progresses  in  the  science  and  art  of  division,  he  will 
notice  that  different  varieties  have  peculiarities  of  root-forma- 
tion. It  may  easily  be  seen  that  no  such  number  of  good  pieces 
could  be  secured  by  the  use  of  a  clumsy  spade.  Such  rough  cleav- 
age would  inevitably  lop  off  necessary  young  roots  and  destroy 
many  eyes.  As  the  spade  is  usually  apphed  to  roots  at  least  partly 
covered  with  earth,  the  broken,  worthless  pieces  are  apt  to  be 
left  unseen  in  the  crude  divisions,  ready  to  decay  later  on. 

Let  us  now  consider  the  proper  technique.  Roots  which  are  to 
be  divided  should  be  dug  and  prepared  with  care.  The  soil  should 
be  loosened  in  a  wide  circle  around  the  peony,  and  as  much  of  the 
loosened  soil  as  possible  should  be  removed  before  the  root  is 
lifted.  In  this  way  cracking  of  the  crown  and  breaking  of  long 
roots  are  avoided. 

Beginning  in  mid-September  and  continuing  on  through  Octo- 
ber, —  the  best  time,  as  I  have  said,  for  the  division  and  planting 
of  peonies,  —  the  earth  is  as  a  rule  mellow  and  crumbly.  Most 
of  it  is  easily  shaken  off  the  freshly  dug  root.  What  little  soil 
still  clings  may  be  removed  by  a  gentle  jarring  on  the  worktable, 
or  by  rinsing  the  root  in  a  pail  of  water.  The  leaves  and  stalks 
should  then  be  at  once  cut  off.  Some  gardeners  exercise  the  extra 
care  of  removing  the  foliage  before  digging  the  root,  but  the 
stalks  are  of  considerable  assistance  in  handling  the  heavy  plant, 
and  if  dividing  is  done  forthwith,  there  is  no  harm  in  taking 
them  off  after  the  root  is  bare. 

What  an  exquisite  thing  is  the  root  of  a  peony !  Its  pungent 
and  refreshing  odor  adds  to  the  pleasure  of  the  business  in  hand. 
The  clean  healthy  brown  coloring  of  the  fleshy  fangs,  the  vary- 
ing bright  hues  of  the  buds,  are  beautiful  to  behold.  Who  can 
forget  the  large,  pointed,  brilliant  pink  root-buds  of  Therese,  or 
the  enormous  and  sharp-tipped  buds  of  yellowish  white  on  the 


ROOT-DIVISION  AND  SEEDLINGS  67 

roots  of  Mme.  Guyot?  A  number  of  varieties  have  such  dis- 
tinctive roots  that  they  can  be  recognized  and  correctly  named 
by  one  who  has  observed  them  carefully. 

Each  autumn  I  look  forward  with  delight  to  the  task  of  in- 
creasing my  favorite  peonies.  It  is  an  annual  festival  —  the  first 
preparation  for  the  garden  of  the  following  year.  For  days  before 
I  am  ready  to  begin,  my  faithful  Giovanni  —  who  loves  peonies 
almost  as  madly  as  I  do  myself  —  asks  little  tentative  questions ; 
hints  that  "pretty  soon  now  the  peonies  will  be  ready"  ;  and  at 
the  given  time  departs  joyously  to  sharpen  the  knives,  prepare 
the  table,  dampen  the  moss,  and  set  out  the  empty  boxes.  As  I 
stand  in  the  field,  I  can  hear  him  up  in  the  barn  singing  snatches 
of  opera  in  a  truly  excellent  tenor. 

When  the  root  is  bare  and  clean,  then  the  division  should  be 
accomplished  by  the  use  of  a  sharp  knife.  I  use  a  hunting-knife. 
The  blade  is  thick  enough  to  stand  the  pressure  necessary  to  cut 
through  the  tough  roots  without  the  danger  of  breaking  in  the 
hand.  This  hunting-knife,  with  a  blade  six  or  seven  inches  long, 
will  easily  divide  one-,  two-,  and  three-year  roots.  When  it  is 
necessary  to  divide  roots  which  are  four  years  old,  or  even  three- 
year  roots  of  the  strongest-growing  varieties,  I  employ  a  farm- 
er's corn-harvesting  knife.  This  is  a  long  knife  with  a  flat  blade, 
slightly  curved  near  the  end,  not  unlike  a  scimitar  in  general 
outline.  The  lower  point  of  the  square-cut  tip  may  be  placed  at 
the  chosen  spot  on  the  root  and  firmly  held  while  the  back  of  the 
knife  is  tapped  by  a  hammer.  The  blade  is  thus  forced  in  a  clean 
cut  through  the  exact  line  decided  upon.  There  is  no  slipping  and 
fumbling,  and  no  chance  of  cut  fingers  through  the  sudden  giving 
of  the  root. 

If,  before  division  is  attempted,  the  root  is  placed  on  a  table 
of  convenient  height,  with  a  mound  of  soil  firmly  moulded  under 
the  crown,  the  pressure  of  the  knife  and  the  jar  of  hammering 


68  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

do  no  harm  to  the  brittle  roots  and  eyes.  The  cut  is  easily  and 
quickly  made  just  where  the  gardener  desires. 

Sometimes  the  best  line  for  division  will  be  indicated  by  the 
growth  of  the  root.  At  other  times  one  must  study  the  root, 
decide  where  to  cut  in  order  to  distribute  evenly  the  buds  and 
roots,  and  then  have  the  courage  to  go  ahead.  A  little  practice 
and  judgment  are  necessary.  The  thrifty  reader  will  doubtless 
wish  to  have  his  early  practice  upon  the  cheaper  varieties  ! 

The  reward  for  skill  in  division  is  not  only  a  greater  number 


Good  method  of  dividing  four-year-old  root. 


of  pieces,  but  better  pieces  —  pieces  so  balanced  in  crown  and 
root  that  they  have  a  fair  chance  to  grow  after  the  somewhat 
drastic  operation  to  which  they  have  been  subjected. 

The  selection  of  plants  for  division  is  a  matter  for  considera- 
tion. The  plants  have  two  separate  purposes  to  fulfill  —  produc- 
tion of  flowers  and  increase  of  root. 

In  the  small  garden,  where  decoration  is  the  main  object,  a 
peony  once  planted  and  established  is  usually  left  unmoved  until 
it  has  grown  to  be  too  old  to  bloom  well  any  longer.    This  length 


ROOT-DIVISION  AND  SEEDLINGS  69 

of  time  varies.  P.  albiflora  will  not  thrive  and  bloom  undivided 
for  as  many  years  as  will  P.  officinalis.  The  roots  of  these  two 
species  are  unlike,  both  in  appearance  and  in  habit  of  growth. 
When  one  hears  of  a  peony  living  and  blooming  undisturbed  for 
thirty  or  forty  years,  enquiry  will  usually  bring  out  the  fact  that 
the  patriarchal  peony  in  question  is  a  specimen  of  P.  officinalis. 

Some  varieties  of  P.  albiflora  are  worn  out  at  eight  years  of 
age.  Others  —  Festiva  Maxima,  for  instance  —  will  live  a  much 
longer  time  before  they  begin  to  fail.  But  whatever  the  length 
of  time  may  be,  the  peony  should  be  discarded  when  it  has 
reached  this  stage,  and  a  new  root  secured  to  replace  it.  For  a 
peony  which  has  arrived  at  this  point  is  too  old  to  furnish  divi- 
sions that  are  strong-growing  and  floriferous. 

Divisions  from  old  roots  are  disappointing  in  many  ways.  In 
the  first  place,  the  crown  is  usually  so  high  and  woody  that  the 
crown-buds  are  a  long  distance  from  the  fleshy  roots  which  have 
to  support  the  newly  made  division,  and  the  food  is  with  diffi- 
culty supplied  through  the  tough  and  mutilated  piece  of  crown. 
Secondly,  the  cut  surfaces  of  woody  crowns  do  not  callous  over 
like  the  young  fleshy  fibre,  and  so  they  are  the  easy  prey  of  mould 
and  rot.  Thirdly,  old  crowns  at  best  usually  have  considerable 
rot.  This  is  hard  to  remove  thoroughly,  even  with  the  most 
careful  division.  Although  this  cleaning  out  may  be  accom- 
plished, the  remaining  root  is  apt  to  be  awkward  and  too  badly 
balanced  for  successful  growth. 

Old  roots  have  done  their  full  duty.  They  have  developed, 
have  matured,  and  —  undisturbed  for  years  —  have  given  a 
generous  display  of  bloom  unobtainable  where  roots  are  fre- 
quently lifted  for  division. 

Such  is  the  brief  history  of  a  root  of  P.  albiflora  left  for  years 
to  ornament  one  place.  But  when  the  gardener  desires  to  in- 
crease his  peonies,  when  the  beauty  of  Avalanche,  the  fragrance 


70  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

of  Philomele,  the  rapture  of  Solange,  so  haunt  and  possess  him 
that  he  is  wiUing  to  give  up  more  or  all  of  his  precious  garden- 
space  in  order  to  add  to  his  loved  favorites,  he  proceeds  to  watch 
the  calendar  for  mid-September  and  then  to  divide  young  roots. 

Roots  which  have  grown  two  or  three  years  since  they  were 
last  divided  are  at  the  best  age  to  be  divided  again.  There  are 
considerations  which  influence  the  decision  as  to  age.  Peonies 
which  increase  slowly  —  like  Glorious,  for  example  —  are  better 
allowed  to  grow  three  years  between  the  times  of  division.  Vari- 
eties which  make  rapid  root-growth  —  like  Therese  —  may  be 
divided  every  two  years  if  desired.  On  occasions  it  is  wise  or 
necessary  to  use  a  four-year-old  root  for  propagation.  A  new  and 
exhausted  variety  which  has  been  repeatedly  cut  and  re-cut  by 
the  dealers  may  well  be  left  for  four  years  to  recover  before  the 
next  division.  After  four  years,  however,  the  woody  condition 
of  the  root  increases  so  rapidly  that  division  is  unsatisfactory. 

The  constant  division  of  roots  only  a  year  old  is  a  practice 
to  be  emphatically  stigmatized  as  vicious.  Yet  that  very  thing 
has  been  done  and  is  being  done  by  certain  growers,  in  their  ef- 
forts to  place  quickly  upon  the  market  new  and  expensive  vari- 
eties which  are  in  great  demand.  Peonies  treated  in  this  way  can- 
not escape  injury.  Many  times  it  takes  years  of  care  to  bring 
back  their  vigor,  and  often  they  are  permanently  weakened  to 
the  point  of  worthlessness.  This  explains  why  some  of  the  excep- 
tional new  varieties  are  seldom  seen  at  shows  for  a  long  time 
after  their  first  bow.  They  make  their  debut.  Perfect  specimens 
of  bloom  are  presented  by  their  originators,  and  obtain  the  cer- 
tificates or  prizes  or  medals  of  which  they  are  judged  worthy. 
The  growers  then  fall  upon  the  roots  of  the  prize- winning  peony, 
and  divide  and  divide  and  divide  and  divide  and  divide,  and 
usually  the  purchaser  knows  the  end  of  the  story.   Would  that 


ROOT-DIVISION  AND  SEEDLINGS  71 

the  peony,  when  torn  too  often  from  the  unwiUing  earth,  could 
shriek  as  did  the  mandrake  of  old ! ' 

Recently  there  has  been  a  practice  established  by  a  few  peony 
dealers,  or  growers,  of  sending  out  "one-eye  divisions."  Indeed 
the  originator  of  the  plan  has  expended  a  good  deal  of  energy  in 
widely  advertising  them.  And  other  growers,  rather  than  lose 
business  by  refusing  to  slice  up  their  stock,  have  disregarded 
their  natural  objections  to  this  practice,  fallen  into  line,  and 
themselves  offered  one-eye  divisions  for  sale. 

There  are  a  number  of  important  things  to  say  about  these 
divisions.  In  the  first  place,  the  dividing  of  a  peony  root  occa- 
sionally provides  a  good  strong  root  with  only  one  eye.  Such  a 
piece  is  valuable  if  the  gardener  realizes  that  it  will  take  at  least 
two  or  three  years  to  grow  a  real  plant  from  it.  I  frequently 
plant  one-eye  roots  of  that  description,  which  have  occurred  dur- 
ing division  in  my  own  garden.  But  a  single  root  usually  has  two 
or  three  eyes,  and  in  order  to  secure  one-eye  divisions,  the  root 
has  to  be  split  or  sliced.  If  one  has  had  any  experience  with  pe- 
onies, it  is  immediately  clear  to  him  that  these  divisions  have 
been  weakened,  and  so  have  a  great  handicap  in  getting  started. 

Ji  the  growers  continue  the  practice  too  long,  the  effect  will 
be  so  bad  that  the  varieties  thus  treated  will  gradually  be 
destroyed.  Unfortunately,  this  one-eye-division  plan  is  tried  on 
the  newest  and  rarest  varieties,  in  order  to  increase  the  stock 
quickly,  and  to  lower  the  price  to  purchasers  who  will  not  pay 
the  amount  asked  for  divisions  of  proper  size.  These  purchasers 
do  not  stop  to  think  that  a  poor  thing  is  dear  at  any  price. 

1  A  conspicuous  victim  of  this  conscienceless  and  greedy  practice  of  overdivi- 
sion  is  the  peony,  Mrs.  Edward  Harding.  Curiously  enough,  one  of  the  men  who 
exploits  one-eye  divisions  complains  that  he  has  never  seen  since  1918  a  flower  of 
this  peony  which  could  put  it  in  the  class  of  the  world's  finest  peonies.  Until  the 
deliberately  weakened  stock  of  this  naturally  vigorous  plant  is  allowed  to  regain 
its  strength,  it  will  not  be  able  to  produce  again  such  flowers  as  won  for  it  the  prize 
at  the  Cleveland  Show  (1918). 


72 


PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 


I  quote  from  a  letter  sent  me  by  a  friend  who  bought  some  of 
these  "one-eye  divisions." 

"One [name  of  a  variety]  had  one  eye  and  looked  like  a 

dried-up  mouse.  It  was  smaller  than  the  three-inch  label  and  was 

tied  on  the  label.  [name  of  a  variety]  was  like  a  slice  of 

bacon  with  two  little  eyes.  .  .  .   Both  divisions  were  so  funny 


Figure  2.     A  badly  balanced 
one-eye  division  from  old  root 


Figure  3.     An  excellent  division  from 
a  two-year  root 


that  I  kept  them  some  time  for  show."  In  the  same  letter  my 
friend  protested  against  "giving  over  a  perfectly  good  location 
to  hospital  work  on  mutilated  plants." 

For  myself,  I  have  no  use  for  these  one-eye  divisions.  I  will 
not  buy  them,  nor  would  I  accept  as  a  gift  such  crippled  roots. 

Figures  2  and  3  represent  two  methods  of  division.  Figure  2  is 


ROOT-DIVISION  AND  SEEDLINGS  73 

a  one-eye  division,  bought  in  response  to  an  advertisement  of  a 
certain  grower.  I  had  its  portrait  drawn  before  it  was  planted. 
This  division  is  poor  for  two  reasons  :  not  only  has  it  been  weak- 
ened by  being  cut  too  small,  with  only  one  small  fleshy  root  to 
sustain  it,  but  it  is  a  division  from  an  old  plant.  The  portion  of 
root  between  the  lines  aa  and  bb  is  hard  and  woody.  With  the 
exception  of  a  couple  of  tiny  hairlike  rootlets  on  the  third  side 
of  this  division,  there  is  nothing  to  feed  the  bud  except  the  dis- 
tant fleshy  root.  This  division  had  just  about  one  chance  in  a 
hundred  of  living  and  it  lost  that  chance.  A  few  weeks  after  I  had 
planted  it  with  my  own  hands  in  one  of  the  best  peony -plots 
that  I  possess,  I  uncovered  it  with  the  utmost  care  to  see  how  it 
was  faring.  The  raw  surfaces  on  the  woody  portion  were  cov- 
ered with  mould ;  and  the  small  neck  of  the  fleshy  root  where  it 
joined  the  old  crown  was  rotted  clear  through."^ 

Figure  3  shows  an  excellent  division.  It  is  cut  from  a  young 
plant  without  a  woody  old  crown,  and  there  is  enough  root  to 
ensure  proper  growth.  The  cut  surface  is  proportionately  small, 
and  as  it  is  on  young  fibre,  the  cut  has  the  chance  to  callous  over 
promptly.  The  quick  callousing  of  root-cuts  is  important  in 
keeping  out  mould  and  rot. 

A  note  bearing  on  this  subject  of  division  comes  to  my  mind 
here.  Occasionally  in  dividing  a  choice  peony  a  fleshy  root  will 
break  off  close  to  the  crown.  There  may  be  no  eye  noticeable 
upon  it ;  but  if  the  break  is  close  to  the  crown,  and  the  variety  is 
sufficiently  valuable  to  warrant  the  trouble  and  the  long  wait 

^  A  dealer  who  has  strongly  endorsed  one-eye  divisions  now  states  in  his  latest 
catalogue,  July  1923:  "each  one-eye  division  will  have  at  least  two  eyes  (one 
being  for  Insurance  and  good  measure)."  While  he  thus  changes  what  he  offers, 
he  still  clings  to  his  original  terminology.  Apparently  he  has  found  that  (1)  a 
one-eye  division  needs  insm-ance,  (2)  it  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive, 
and  (3)  the  continued  use  of  the  expression  "one-eye"  for  divisions  which  he 
expressly  states  "have  at  least  two  eyes"  is  a  way,  as  our  Chinese  friends  say, 
to  save  face. 


74  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

necessary  for  development,  it  is  worth  while  planting  such  a 
piece.  Sometimes  —  not  always  —  the  effort  will  be  rewarded. 
Last  autumn  I  transplanted  a  strong  little  plant  of  La  Fee,  which 
had  come  from  such  a  piece  planted  five  years  before.  As  La 
Fee  now  costs  twelve  dollars  a  root,  I  felt  that  I  had  just  found 
twelve  dollars.  In  another  part  of  my  garden  I  have  three  large 
well-established  plants  which  I  secured  in  the  same  way.  Natur- 
ally, one  would  not  deliberately  prepare  roots  in  this  manner,  but 
when  they  happen  during  division,  it  is  diverting  and  sometimes 
profitable  to  plant  them. 

When  I  made  the  statement  of  this  possibility  in  print  a  few 
years  ago,  one  reviewer,  with  the  complete  assurance  of  limited 
information  in  respect  to  this  detail,  severely  criticized  its  accu- 
racy. Immediately  letters  came  to  me  from  other  gardeners,  tell- 
ing me  of  similar  experiences  with  pieces  of  roots.  The  Reverend 
Mr.  Harrison  of  York,  Nebraska,  one  of  the  oldest  and  most 
carefully  observant  growers  of  the  peony  in  this  country,  wrote 
to  me  an  approving  letter.  In  it  he  cited  his  own  success  with 
similar  pieces.  Several  other  well-known  growers  of  wide  ac- 
complishment also  wrote  to  me,  and  in  the  light  of  their  own 
knowledge  endorsed  my  assertion. 

If  more  than  one  variety  of  peony  is  divided,  care  must  be 
exercised  to  see  that  the  divisions  do  not  become  mixed.  Peonies 
which  are  not  true  to  name  are  a  trial  to  the  spirit  and  a  vexation 
in  the  garden.  Each  autumn,  when  I  have  a  number  of  varieties 
ready  for  division,  it  is  too  much  work  to  label  each  piece  sep- 
arately as  it  is  made,  so  I  place  a  number  of  wooden  boxes  on  the 
floor  of  the  playroom  in  the  barn,  where  the  cutting  is  always 
done.  Each  box  bears  a  large  label  —  usually  a  piece  of  paste- 
board —  with  the  name  Solange,  or  Glorious,  or  any  of  the  other 
varieties  which  I  am  cutting  up,  written  upon  it  in  huge  letters. 
Into  these  boxes  go  the  divisions  as  they  are  made.   Each  divi- 


ROOT-DIVISION  AND  SEEDLINGS  75 

sion  is  tucked  in  with  a  handful  of  well-dampened  moss.  Here 
the  roots,  which  should  not  be  allowed  to  dry  out,  can  be  safely 
kept  without  fear  of  being  mixed.  When  I  am  ready  to  send 
any  away,  each  one  is  securely  and  plainly  labeled  as  I  take  it 
out  of  the  box.  Those  which  are  planted  in  the  field  or  garden 
are  at  that  time  numbered  and  named  upon  a  diagram  drawn  in 
a  field  notebook  of  brown  paper.  By  this  method  each  division 
is  easily  guarded  from  confusion. 

The  transplanting  of  old  roots  of  peonies  without  division  is 
not  good  practice.^  Roots  older  than  three  years  will  frequently 
sulk  and  refuse  to  bloom  if  so  transplanted.  Indeed,  this  is  many 
times  the  cause  of  failure  to  bloom  in  little  gardens,  where 
the  peony  is  not  usually  divided  for  increase  but  where  it  is  oc- 
casionally moved  for  some  reason  of  convenience. 

A  root  one  or  even  two  years  old,  according  to  its  strength  and 
the  size  of  the  last  preceding  division,  is  quite  as  large  as  should 
ever  be  planted  undivided.  A  three-year-old  root  will  give  an 
immediate  effect  in  bloom.  But  experience  has  taught  me  that  a 
strong,  balan'ced  division,  properly  planted  and  uninterrupted  in 
growth,  will  in  the  end  surpass  the  transplanted  two-  and  three- 
year  roots. 

Seedlings 

It  is  not  necessary  to  plant  thousands  of  seeds  to  secure  some- 
thing of  merit.  Granting  that  only  about  one  seedling  out  of  a 
thousand  or  more  is  worthy  of  perpetuation,  it  would  seem  at 
first  blush  that  the  chances  of  success  are  relatively  greater  when 
many  thousands  are  sowed;  and  yet  a  survey  of  the  origin  of 

^  An  exception  to  the  planting  of  large  roots  without  division  should  be  not- 
ed here.  Although  the  peony  is  a  flower  especially  suited  to  the  colder  parts 
of  the  world,  it  is  sometimes  grown  with  success  in  warm  sections.  Among  the 
special  details  in  the  varying  methods  of  cultivation,  in  those  conditions,  is 
the  transplantation  of  a  large  root  without  division. 


76  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

many  of  our  rarest  and  loA^eliest  peonies  compels  recognition  of 
the  fact  that  they  have  come  from  httle  gardens. 

Walter  Faxon,  Milton  Hill,  and  Richardson's  Grandiflora  all 
originated  in  a  little  garden.  So  did  the  exquisite  Mrs.  C.  S. 
Minot.  The  ground  used  by  Doctor  Minot  for  his  seedlings  was 
not  extensive.  We  may  truthfully  say  that  all  of  Lemoine's 
beautiful  seedlings  came  from  a  small  garden,  for  the  space  given 
by  that  grower  to  the  development  of  peonies  has  been  but  a 
small  portion  of  the  modest  acreage  devoted  to  the  sum  of  all  his 
marvelous  creations. 

This  should  encourage  the  amateur  with  a  limited  amount  of 
ground  at  his  command  to  indulge  in  the  pleasure  of  raising  seed- 
lings. If  only  one  good  variety  is  obtained  after  years  of  effort, 
still  it  is  worth  while.  And  who  shall  deny  that  the  pleasure  is 
quite  as  much  in  the  work  as  in  the  result  ? 

The  possibility  of  some  day  surprising  the  horticultural  world 
with  the  production  of  the  most  perfect  peony  of  all  must  tempt 
every  peony-lover.  If  he  has  the  leisure  and  the  inclination,  he 
may  study  theories  of  plant-breeding  and  scientific  deductions 
therefrom,  and  then  hand-pollinate  his  flowers.  Or  if  the  time 
is  lacking  or  the  details  of  hybridizing  are  too  exacting,  he  may 
content  himself  with  growing  only  the  finest  varieties  obtainable 
and  letting  the  bees  and  the  butterflies  complete  his  work  of  care- 
ful selection  by  crossing  them. 

Crousse,  the  French  grower  who  has  given  us  so  many  fine 
varieties,  could  not  spare  the  time  for  the  work  of  hybridization. 
In  Chapter  iv  I  have  given  an  extract  from  one  of  his  letters, 
which  explains  his  method  of  saving  seed  for  annual  sowing. 

We  shall  probably  never  know  whether  or  not  John  Richard- 
son employed  hand-pollination  in  the  production  of  his  seed- 
lings, for  he  left  no  records  of  breeding  and  the  information  is  not 
otherwise  available.    Probably  he  did  not.    If  Richardson  had 


ROOT-DIVISION  AND  SEEDLINGS  77 

used  artificial  fertilization,  It  could  hardly  have  escaped  the  at- 
tention of  Mr.  Robert  Tracy  Jackson,  who  from  his  boyhood  to 
the  time  of  Richardson's  death,  had  the  entree  to  Richardson's 
inviting  garden. 

Here  are  two  growers  of  seedlings  who  have  depended  en- 
tirely upon  the  insects  and  the  winds,  yet  have  produced  new 
varieties  of  highest  quality. 

On  the  other  hand,  Kelway  and  Son,  in  England,  claim  to  have 
established  a  regular  system  of  hybridization  of  peonies.  From 
this  house  —  and  we  are  to  presume  from  this  work  —  came 
Glorious,  Lady  Alexandra  Duff,  and  other  beauties.  We  know 
that  Lemoine's  fine  peonies  are  the  result  of  hand-fertilization. 

These  two  practices  show  the  amateur  may  take  his  pleasure 
in  his  seedlings  either  with  serious  attention  or  more  or  less 
casually.  If  every  seedling  he  ever  raises  goes  to  the  pyre  in  the 
end,  still  he  will  have  had  the  delight  of  watching  it  grow,  and  the 
thrill  of  expectation.  It  is  a  game  at  which  the  enthusiast  never 
tires.  One  thing  is  important.  Whether  the  amateur  chooses  to 
hybridize  his  peonies  himself  or  leave  them  to  chance,  only  the 
choicest  varieties  should  be  selected  for  his  garden.  Then,  either 
way,  he  is  prepared  to  harvest  seeds  of  some  value. 

Late  in  July  or  early  in  August,  when  the  seed-pods  on  the 
peony  plants  begin  to  open  and  show  the  pea-like  seeds  within, 
they  should  be  gathered  at  once,  for  when  the  seeds  lose  the 
sticky  moisture  with  which  they  are  covered  within  the  pod, 
and  become  entirely  brown  and  dry,  they  become  also  very  hard, 
and  will  not  germinate  for  two  years  or  more.  Some  of  the  large 
growers  deliberately  permit  their  seeds  to  dry,  and  are  willing  to 
wait  two  years  for  germination.  The  amateur,  with  a  smaller 
amount  of  ground  at  his  disposal,  should  plant  his  seeds  immedi- 
ately in  order  that  most  of  them  may  appear  the  following 
spring. 


78  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

At  this  early  stage  of  ripening  the  seeds  are  almost  all  yellow, 
some  slightly  touched  with  brown,  others  tinged  with  red.  The 
seeds  of  Mme.  Gaudichau,  for  example,  are  very  pretty  —  bright 
yellow  with  touches  of  red.  Mme.  Sallier  has  smooth  green  pods, 
the  upper  grooves  of  which  are  painted  red,  while  the  seeds 
within  are  clear  yellow.  Walter  Faxon,  too,  has  clear  yellow 
seeds.  It  is  a  delightful  but  finger-blistering  task  to  finish  open- 
ing the  slightly  split  pods. 

There  is  interesting  variety  in  the  fruit  of  the  peony.  Some 
plants  will  produce  many  well-filled  pods  year  after  year.  Other 
varieties  will  present  only  one  or  two  pods  on  a  stalk,  while  the 


Figure  4.     Perfect  seed-pod  of  Mme.  Calot 

rest  of  the  carpels  on  the  same  stalk,  having  missed  pollinization, 
will  be  but  little  dry  and  shriveled  points.  Some  varieties,  espe- 
cially the  Japanese,  have  pods  which  are  large,  rough,  and  un- 
even in  shape.  Still  others  will  be  smooth,  fat,  and  regular  in 
outline. 

It  is  always  exciting  to  find  seeds  on  the  varieties  which  seldom 
bear.  Last  season  (1922)  was  most  satisfying  to  me,  for,  in  spite 
of  the  fact  that  I  cut  my  choicest  peonies  with  a  lavish  hand,  I 
secured  seeds  from  many  of  my  most  cherished.  There  were  a 
few  from  the  shy-seeding  Festiva  Maxima,  and  some  from  Le 
Cygne.    Duchesse  de  Nemours  provided  me  with  a  number. 


ROOT-DIVISION  AND  SEEDLINGS  79 

although  this  is  one  of  the  peonies  which  develops  only  one  or 
two  pods  on  a  stalk,  and  on  some  stalks  perfects  none  at  all. 
Alfred  de  Musset  bore  seeds,  and  so  did  Mme.  Jules  Dessert. 

Primevere  is  always  a  good  seed-bearer,  and  Mme.  Calot,  an 
early  full  double  rose-type,  is  the  most  prolific  and  persistent 
seed-bearer  I  have  ever  seen.  Beautiful  regular  full  pods,  five  to 
each  stalk —  the  perfect  "pentorobus"  —  are  usually  borne  by 
Mme.  Calot.  Figure  4  was  drawn  from  Mme.  Calot. 

Walter  Faxon  seeds  generously,  and  every  seed  is  treasured. 

After  cutting  blooms  freely  all  season  long,  after  filling  vases, 
buckets,  and  tubs,  after  sending  peonies  by  the  armful  to  the 
sick,  after  giving  and  giving  again,  on  July  31,  I  gathered  from 
the  blooms  which  had  been  left  on  the  plants  two  full  pounds  of 
seeds. 


Figure  5.     Baby  root  two  years  from  seed 


80  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

As  is  usual  in  my  garden,  these  seeds  were  placed  in  cold- 
frames  and  covered  with  about  two  inches  of  finely  sifted  rich 
earth.  The  ground  was  then  thoroughly  watered  and  the  frames 
were  shaded.  Late  in  the  fall,  the  seed  beds  were  given  a  last 
careful  saturation,  and  the  frames  were  closed  for  the  winter. 

There  have  been  many  experiments  with  chemicals,  with  the 
object  of  breaking  down  the  hard  shell  of  dried  peony-seeds ; 
but  the  interested  gardener  will  find  most  expedient  the  simple 
method  of  gathering  his  seeds  in  ample  time  and  sowing  them 
immediately. 

The  proportion  of  seeds  which  —  under  these  conditions  —  do 
not  germinate  the  following  season  is  small.  In  the  spring  tiny 
red  plants  appear,  and  the  bed  is  carefully  kept  moist  and  well 
weeded.  In  the  early  fall  they  may  be  transplanted,  or  if  more 
convenient,  left  for  another  year  in  the  same  spot.  In  either  case 
they  should  be  covered  with  a  light  mulch  as  soon  as  the  ground 
freezes. 

At  the  time  the  seedlings  are  transplanted,  the  earth  may  be 
sifted  and  the  unsprouted  seeds  evenly  replanted. 

In  transplanting,  care  should  be  taken  to  have  the  soil  finely 
prepared.  For  ease  of  cultivation  and  in  order  to  save  space, 
they  should  be  planted  in  rows  two  feet  apart,  with  the  individ- 
ual roots  eight,  ten,  or  twelve  inches  apart  in  the  rows,  depend- 
ing to  some  extent  upon  the  amount  of  space  available.  Here 
they  may  stay  until  they  bloom  —  which  is  usually  at  three  oi 
four  years  of  age.  When  the  roots  become  too  crowded,  they 
should  be  again  transplanted.  At  that  time,  individuals  which 
have  shown  bloom  of  any  attraction  should  be  marked  for  trial 
and  special  observation. 


VIII 
WHY  SOME  PEONIES  DO  NOT  BLOOM 

With  peonies,  as  with  people,  bloom  is  the  expression  of 
health  and  well-being.  If  one's  peonies  do  not  bear  flowers, 
something  is  wrong.  Perhaps  there  are  several  conditions  which 
contribute  to  their  failure.  Herbert  Spencer  truly  said  that  there 
is  no  such  thing  as  cause  and  effect :  it  is  "causes  and  effects." 

Here  are  the  principal  reasons  why  some  peonies  do  not  bloom. 

1.  Roots  reaching  the  end  of  a  useful  existence.  In 
Chapter  vii  I  spoke  of  the  length  of  life  of  P.  albiflora.  Its  span 
of  years  differs  according  to  the  variety,  but  none  of  the  varie- 
ties reaches  the  great  age  of  either  P.  ofEcinalis  or  P.  Moutan. 
The  gardener  must  realize  this  and  be  prepared  when  the  time 
arrives  to  replace  the  old  plants  with  young  ones. 

2.  Transplantation  of  large  roots  without  division. 
Peonies  which  have  grown  in  one  place  for  over  three  years  will 
often  refuse  to  bloom  if  they  are  moved  without  being  divided. 
A  one-,  two-,  or  three-year  root  will  go  on  blooming  cheerfully, 
but  roots  older  than  three  years  may  easily  refuse  to  flower  well 
again  for  a  considerable  period  after  transplanting.  Occasionally 
even  a  three-year-old  root  will  sulk.  It  is  a  good  general  rule 
never  to  transplant  a  peony  without  division,  provided  it  is  fit 
for  division.  Roots  bought  from  growers  are  usually  already 
divided  quite  as  much  as  —  or  more  than !  —  is  good  for  them, 
and  should  not  be  divided  further. 

3.  Recent  transplantation.  Many  peonies  will  not  bloom 
the  first  season  or  two  after  being  planted.  These  roots  demand 
time  in  which  to  settle  down  to  the  business  of  life  in  their  new 


82  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

homes.    This  is  usually  the  case  with  varieties  which  are  not 
naturally  profuse  bloomers. 

4.  Divisions  from  roots  that  are  too  old.  A  number  of 
reasons  for  the  failure  of  such  divisions  to  bloom  have  already 
been  discussed  in  Chapter  vii,  on  Division.  It  will  suflSce  here 
to  repeat  that  the  badly  balanced  root-systems  which  neces- 
sarily occur  in  divisions  of  old  peonies  often  fail  to  supply  food 
and  moisture  to  the  growing  plant.  The  new-made  root  has  a 
struggle  for  life.   It  has  no  energy  left  to  expend  in  flowering. 

5.  Divisions  from  weak  or  overworked  stock.  As  a  rule, 
divisions  of  new  and  scarce  varieties  are  too  weak  to  bloom  for 
several  years,  unless  the  division  has  been  made  in  one's  own 
garden  with  the  proper  exercise  of  judgment  and  care.  Cer- 
tainly the  small  pieces  so  often  sold  by  professional  growers  have 
a  long  fight  ahead  of  them,  before  they  acquire  sufficient  strength 
to  flower.  Not  only  are  the  pieces  tiny,  but  they  are  from  stock 
too  frequently  divided. 

A  sad  letter  from  a  collector,  received  the  very  day  I  am  writ- 
ing these  lines,  is  in  point.  In  1918  he  and  another  enthusiast 
bought  a  division  of  a  rare  and  expensive  variety.  It  was  small 
when  they  bought  it,  but  they  witlessly  proceeded  to  divide  it 
again  so  that  there  might  be  a  piece  for  each  to  have  and  to  hold 
and  to  plant.  Four  years  have  dragged  slowly  by  and  it  has  not 
yet  bloomed.  He  "hopes"  that  it  will  flower  this  year,  but 
admits  that  the  hope  is  only  a  slight  one. 

It  is  bad  enough  to  receive  stock  which  has  already  been  often 
and  closely  divided,  but  deliberately  to  cut  it  further  one's  self 
is  really  courting  disaster. 

6.  Too  deep  planting.  This  may  come  about  by  inten- 
tion or  by  accident.  The  places  prepared  for  peony  roots  are 
seldom  made  ready  a  sufiiciently  long  time  in  advance  to  permit 
the  ground  to  settle  thoroughly.  Ground  that  is  deeply  dug  and 


WHY  SOME  PEONIES  DO  NOT  BLOOM  83 

turned  will  settle  and  pack  to  a  surprising  degree.  How  much 
greater  will  the  settling  be  when  part  of  the  soil  is  removed  in 
preparation  and  replaced  with  compost  which  by  nature  is  less 
closely  packed  !  If  the  root  is  planted  before  this  settling  process 
is  complete,  it  is  naturally  carried  down  with  the  earth,  and  even 
though  it  has  been  placed  at  the  proper  depth  in  the  first  place, 
it  does  not  stay  there.  The  unsightly  depression  caused  by  the 
sinking  is  then  filled  by  the  gardener,  who  unthinkingly  im- 
prisons the  poor  root  perhaps  five  or  six  inches  below  the  surface. 
From  the  gardens  of  amateurs  —  advanced  to  perfection  in 
growing  other  flowers  —  peony  roots  have  been  brought  to  me, 
each  one  showing  two  distinct  clumps,  one  above  the  other.  The 
upper  clump  has  been  the  result  of  the  peony's  efforts  for  years 
to  struggle  up  out  of  its  grave.  The  plants  showed  plainly  that 
the  original  crowns  had  reached  a  point  eight  inches  below  the 
surface.  In  whatever  way  they  were  buried,  whether  through 
too  deep  planting  in  the  first  place  or  through  the  constant  filling 
and  leveling  of  the  holes,  it  is  not  surprising  that  they  never 
smiled  upon  the  garden. 

7.  Improper  location.  If  the  peony  is  planted  in  the 
wrong  place,  it  will  have  difficulty  in  producing  flowers.  In 
ground  that  is  too  dry,  flowers  will  fail.  In  soil  that  is  too  wet  or 
insufficiently  drained,  the  root  will  rot  and  blossoms  will  be 
lacking.  Constant  and  excessive  shade  will  discourage  the  most 
persistent  bloomer.  It  is  amazing  how  many  people  apparently 
take  pleasure  in  planting  their  peonies  under  big  trees,  in  dry  and 
heavily  shaded  soil.  One  sees  this  often  in  suburban  gardens 
where  space  is  at  a  premium.  Repeatedly  the  owners  of  such 
plantings  ask  aggrievedly  why  their  peonies  do  not  bloom.  When 
the  damning  closeness  of  the  trees  is  pointed  out,  the  answer  is 
invariably,  "Oh  —  but  I  can't  move  my  trees,  you  know  ! " 

8.  Exhausted  or  infected  soil.    The  growth  of  a  peony 


84  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

in  one  place  for  a  number  of  years  exhausts  the  soil.  If  after  the 
removal  of  an  old  root,  another  peony  is  planted  in  the  same 
place,  it  is  not  apt  to  succeed.  The  new  peony  cannot  find 
enough  food  in  the  famished  soil.  And  if  it  is  suffering  from  the 
shock  of  division,  —  which  is  usually  the  case,  —  the  effort  to 
become  established  is  doubly  difficult.  Not  only  do  many  pe- 
onies fail  to  thrive  under  these  conditions,  but  some  of  them  suc- 
cumb entirely.  Naturally,  the  length  of  time  the  ground  was 
previously  occupied  affects  the  degree  of  its  poverty.  But  more 
and  more  is  becoming  recognized  the  importance  of  planting 
peonies  in  fresh  ground  —  ground  that  is  rich,  well  cultivated, 
sweet,  and  in  good  heart. 

Another  reason  for  always  planting  peonies  in  fresh  soil  is  the 
danger  of  infection  from  sick  plants.  A  root  suffering  from  black 
rot  may  leave  infected  bits  or  fungoid  spores  in  the  ground.  And 
if  by  any  chance  the  former  occupant  suffered  from  root-galls, 
then  the  presence  of  depraved  nematode  worms  in  the  soil  ap- 
proaches a  certainty.  To  subject  a  new  and  healthy  root  to  such 
conditions  and  expect  it  to  survive  and  bloom  rapturously  is 
asking  too  much. 

In  case  it  is  desirable  for  the  sake  of  garden  design  to  plant  a 
peony  where  one  was  grown  before,  the  earth  may  be  removed  to 
a  depth  of  two  feet  and  replaced  by  fresh  topsoil.  The  new  root 
will  then  have  a  fair  start. 

9.  Late  frosts.  Not  often  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York  is 
frost  a  cause  of  damage  to  the  peony  buds.  However,  last  year 
(1922)  a  late  and  bitter  frost  did  great  harm,  not  only  in  this 
locality  but  in  many  parts  of  the  country.  I  shall  not  soon  forget 
the  frost  which  in  one  night  turned  the  gorgeous  magnolias  from 
masses  of  pink  loveliness  into  brown  and  heartbreaking  disap- 
pointments. Some  of  the  French  lilac  buds  were  also  nipped,  and 
had  my  tree  peonies  not  been  screened  with  straw,  all  of  them 


WHY  SOME  PEONIES  DO  NOT  BLOOM  85 

would  have  gone.  The  herbaceous  peonies  which  were  planted 
among  peach  trees  were  practically  unscathed.  While  those  situ- 
ated in  other  places  lost  some  of  the  terminal  buds,  many  of 
these  injured  buds  were  later  replaced  by  laterals.  The  crops 
were  so  small  that  the  growers  of  peonies  for  the  cut-flower 
market  suffered  great  loss,  and  many  a  little  garden  missed  its 
year's  display.  We  are  hardened  to  the  possible  late  freezing  of 
our  peaches ;  but  deprivation  of  our  peony  blooms  is  a  novel 
shock. 

The  heavy  frosts,  though  damaging,  are  fortunately  not  fre- 
quent. The  lighter  frosts  have  never  harmed  peonies  in  my 
garden. 

10.  Diseased  plants.  Stalks  of  peonies  which  are  suffer- 
ing from  "bud  blast,"  one  of  the  symptoms  of  botrytis,  will  not 
bloom.  Wilting  of  the  stems  and  rotting  of  the  buds  are  other 
effects  of  the  same  disease.  Peonies  which  are  afflicted  with  root- 
gall  bloom  uncertainly  or  not  at  all. 

Information  regarding  both  these  diseases  will  be  found  in  the 
next  chapter. 


IX 
DISEASES  OF  PEONIES 

In  the  preceding  chapter  the  reasons  which  are  given  for  the 
peony's  failure  to  bloom  may  be  called  outside  causes  or  circum- 
stances. They  are  readily  remedied  by  some  simple  change  in 
the  method  of  cultivation.  But  more  and  more  does  one  hear 
about  the  inroads  of  wilt,  black  rot,  bud-blast,  and  botrytis. 

It  may  be  that  these  troubles  do  not  attack  the  peony  with 
greater  frequency  than  they  did  years  ago,  but  as  more  garden- 
makers  adopt  this  flower  as  a  special  interest,  so  there  will  be 
wider  discussion  of  its  ailments  as  well  as  its  charms.  It  is  cer- 
tain, however,  that  these  symptoms  of  fungoid  disease,  which 
have  now  become  the  subject  of  careful  scientific  study,  have 
troubled  the  peony  for  many  years. 

Sunlight  and  air  are  destructive  to  botrytis.  Although  the  cul- 
ture of  peonies  in  open  fields  —  in  large  spaces  which  are  well 
away  from  infection  —  is  seldom  hampered  by  any  of  the  mani- 
festations of  botrytis,  still  it  is  sadly  true  that  peonies  in  gardens 
are  often  affected.  An  old  garden,  with  close  planting  which 
shades  the  ground  and  with  topsoil  composed  largely  of  stable 
manure  and  vegetable  matter,  provides  conditions  favorable  to 
the  growth  of  this  fungus. 

The  horticultural  magazines  to-day  contain  many  letters  and 
articles  on  this  peony-blight,  as  it  is  called.  Recently  there  have 
appeared  strong  recommendations  to  spray  both  the  peonies  and 
the  ground  in  which  they  are  planted. 

As  long  ago  as  1911,  this  suggestion  of  spraying  for  the  con- 
trol of  this  fungus  was  made  by  Mr.  A.  H.  Fewkes  of  Newton 


DISEASES  OF  PEONIES  87 

Highlands,  Massachusetts.  He  has  tried  at  different  times  the 
following  treatments :  air-slaked  lime,  dry  Bordeaux-mixture, 
sulpho-naphthol,  and  "Sulco  V.  B."  (which  is  made  from  sul- 
phur, carbolic  acid,  and  fish-oil).  Mr.  Fewkes  avows  that  the 
last  preparation  has  a  vile  odor,  —  which  is  not  hard  to  believe, 
—  but  that  it  appears  to  be  doing  good  work.  Wlien  a  plant 
shows  disease  he  scrapes  away  the  affected  portion  of  the  root 
and  applies  the  fungicide  before  filling  in  with  fresh  earth. 

In  my  own  garden  prevention  more  than  cure  has  been  my 
dependence.  In  the  first  place,  my  peonies  are  grown  away  from 
other  plants.  That  in  itself  is  a  protection.  In  the  second  place, 
the  foliage  is  cut  off  and  removed  each  fall  with  scrupulous  care ; 
it  is  then  immediately  burned,  as  advised  in  Chapter  vi.  Thirdly, 
the  plants  are  under  careful  daily  observation.  All  flowers  which 
are  not  to  be  saved  for  seed  are  cut  off  and  burned  as  soon  as 
they  begin  to  fade.  The  occasional  dried  or  undeveloped  buds 
are  snipped  off  with  speed,  and  burned.  Seldom  do  I  find  wilted 
or  broken  stalks.  In  a  season  of  excessive  "wet  they  will  occur, 
but  their  number  is  undoubtedly  kept  down  by  persistent  and 
prompt  inspection.  When  a  stem  is  found  to  be  affected,  it  is 
severed  close  to  the  ground.  The  soil  around  it  is  then  removed 
and  the  sick  stalk  is  followed  below  the  surface  down  to  the  root 
itself,  which  is  then  carefully  examined  without  being  disturbed 
any  more  than  is  necessary.  Fresh  earth  or  sand  is  brought  to 
replace  that  which  was  taken  off  the  root.  At  the  risk  of  being 
thought  painfully  thorough,  I  will  admit  that  the  old  soil  is  well 
scorched  before  it  is  carried  away  —  just  to  be  sure ! 

In  the  removal  of  all  these  parts  —  buds,  stems,  and  faded 
flowers  —  it  is  well  to  work  gently,  as  careless  or  rough  handling 
will  do  much  to  spread  the  spores. 

So  far  in  my  experience  I  have  never  had  to  spray  my  peonies. 
A  light  application  of  water-slaked  stone  lime  to  the  beds  every 


88  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

few  years  keeps  the  soil  sweet  and  discourages  fungus.  Upon  the 
complete  withliolding  of  solid  manure  too  much  stress  cannot  be 
laid ;  for,  while  manure  encourages  a  strong  growth  of  plants,  it 
makes  the  soil  in  time  favorable  to  the  breeding  of  fungus  spores. 

The  careful  burning  of  both  sick  and  ripe  foliage  is  another 
vital  point.  Unflagging  attention  to  these  details  has  so  far 
sufficed  to  keep  my  peonies  from  falling  victims  to  the  dreaded 
botrytis. 

Another  disease  which  sometimes  troubles  the  peony  is  known 
as  root-gall.  Peonies  affected  with  this  disease  have  many  weak 
stalks,  which  are  stunted  and  give  no  bloom.  The  roots  are  short 
and  stubby,  with  swellings  and  lumps.  The  tips  of  the  roots 
appear  to  be  rotted.  The  fine  rootlets  have  many  small  galls  or 
lumps  upon  them.  Root-gall  occurs  much  oftener  in  the  South 
and  in  light  soils  than  it  does  in  the  North  and  in  heavy  soils.  In 
heavy  soils  the  trouble  is  not  usually  serious,  although  individual 
roots  may  be  beyond  cure.  A  badly  infected  root  had  best  be 
burned.  A  valuable  root  which  is  only  lightly  troubled  may 
frequently  be  divided  and  reset  in  fresh  soil.  This  treatment  will 
often  overcome  a  slight  infestation. 

The  constant  replanting  of  roots  upon  the  same  soil  is  one 
cause  of  the  spread  of  this  disease.  I  called  attention  in  Chapter 
VI  to  the  importance  of  planting  always  upon  new  soil.  This 
applies  to  all  peonies,  either  sick  or  in  health.  And  if  the  gar- 
dener is  trying  to  cure  an  infected  root  by  frequent  division  and 
resetting  in  fresh  soil,  as  suggested,  such  planting  should,  if 
possible,  be  carefully  kept  to  itself  in  a  part  of  the  grounds  out- 
side of  the  garden. 

Two  important  and  instructive  pamphlets  upon  these  dis- 
eases have  been  written.  In  1911  the  United  States  Department 
of  Agriculture,  through  the  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry,  printed 
Bulletin  No.  217,  entitled  Root-Knot  and  Its  Control.    It  was 


DISEASES  OF  PEONIES  89 

written  by  Professor  Ernst  A.  Bessey.  It  is  of  the  greatest 
value,  and  should  be  in  the  library  of  every  serious  gardener. 

In  1915  Prof.  H.  H.  Whetzel  of  Ithaca,  New  York,  gave  a  lec- 
ture before  the  Massachusetts  Horticultural  Society  upon  "Dis- 
eases of  the  Peony."  This  lecture  was  later  printed  in  pamphlet 
form.  Dr.  Whetzel  treats  at  length  of  botrytis  as  well  as  root- 
gall,  and  illustrations  of  the  many  manifestations  of  both  dis- 
eases are  added  to  the  clear  explanations  of  the  text.  This  is 
another  publication  of  immense  usefulness,  which  should  be  in 
the  possession  of  good  gardeners. 

While  the  various  troubles  and  diseases  of  the  peony  are  being 
considered  here,  I  would  like  to  enter  protest  against  the  name 
"Lemoine's  disease,"  which  has  been  applied  by  some  commer- 
cial growers  in  this  country  to  the  root-gall  or  root-knot.  It  is 
not  only  discourteous  in  the  extreme  to  one  who  has  furnished 
the  world  with  peonies  yet  to  be  excelled  by  any  of  us,  but  it  is  so 
unfairly  incorrect  in  its  implication  as  to  be  ridiculous. 

The  first  observations  of  this  disease  of  which  we  have  any 
record  were  made  by  Berkeley  in  1855  in  England.  It  was  next 
remarked  by  Greef  in  Germany  in  1864.  Since  then  it  has  been 
found  in  Italy,  Austria,  Holland,  France,  Sweden,  and  Russia. 
It  is  not  confined  to  Europe  but  flourishes  in  Africa,  Asia,  India, 
China,  and  Japan.  Even  Australia  is  not  exempt.  The  disease  is 
pretty  well  distributed  throughout  the  United  States.  It  is  ex- 
tremely prevalent  in  the  Southern  states,  and  may  be  found  as 
far  West  as  California. 

This  malady  afflicts  many  plants.  At  least  two  hundred  and 
thirty-five  species  and  subspecies  have  been  found  to  be  sus- 
ceptible, although  not  every  individual  in  any  species  necessarily 
becomes  a  victim.  Most  of  the  garden  plants  and  many  field 
crops  are  subject  to  it.^  Neither  M.  Lemoine,  nor  France,  nor 
^  See  Root-Knot  and  Its  Control,  by  Bessey. 


90  PEONIES  IN  THE  LITTLE  GARDEN 

yet  the  peony  itself  can  be  held  responsible  as  the  originator  or 
sole  disseminator  of  this  trouble. 

Doubtless  the  expression  arose  through  ignorance  and 
thoughtlessness,  as  so  many  mistakes  do.  But  that  does  not 
render  it  any -the  less  absurd.  It  would  be  quite  as  correct  to  call 

root -rot  " 's  disease"  or  " 's  disease,"  filling  in  the 

blanks  with  the  names  of  any  nursery  from  which  you  ever  re- 
ceived a  root  touched  with  rot.  From  time  to  time  I  have  im- 
ported stock  from  the  house  of  Lemoine.  It  has  never  been  any- 
thing but  entirely  clean  and  healthy.  I  cannot  say  as  much  for 
stock  I  have  received  from  some  of  the  nurseries  in  this  country. 
With  the  information  now  accessible  to  horticulturists  who  really 
want  it,  the  time  would  seem  to  be  here  for  the  name  —  and  the 
incorrect  notion  which  prompted  it  —  to  be  dropped  into  the 
vasty  deep  of  oblivion. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  both  root-gall  and  botrytis  in  its  va- 
rious forms  are  taking  toll  of  the  peonies  in  our  gardens.  But 
I  think  that  if  gardeners  will  give  their  peonies  one  quarter  of  the 
observation  and  care  that  they  lavish  upon  other  flowers,  the 
exact  troubles  can  be  found  and  successfully  combated.  Lovers 
of  the  rose  devote  endless  hours  to  the  study  and  cure  of  its  ail- 
ments, because  it  is  frankly  admitted  that  —  even  with  all  its 
perfection  of  beauty  —  the  rose  does  have  some  diseases.  The 
peony  is  at  present  suffering  from  its  own  reputation  for  hardi- 
ness. There  is  temptation  to  neglect  a  flower  so  cheerful  and 
enduring.  In  the  little  garden  with  mixed  planting,  crowded  beds 
and  overfertilized  soil,  the  peony  is  more  easily  the  victim  of 
its  enemies.  It  should  be  watched.  Even  Achilles  had  his  heel ! 

"Peonies  in  the  Little  Garden"  :  as  I  read  the  title  of  this  book 
once  more  before  I  lay  down  my  pen,  I  have  a  vision. 

I  see  a  little  girl  leaning  upon  the  seat  of  an  immense  old  chair 


DISEASES  OF  PEONIES  91 

covered  with  needlework.  With  caressing  fingers  she  traces  out 
the  old-fashioned  flowers  there  shown  in  heaped-up  richness. 
Stately  white  lilies  and  cabbage-y  roses,  imposing  crown-impe- 
rials and  lilacs  in  purple  and  mauve,  blue  irises  and  dazzling 
poppies,  all  receive  her  absorbed  attention.  As  her  gaze  falls  upon 
a  very  fat  and  very  pink  peony,  the  little  girl  catches  her  breath. 
"Some  day,  when  I  am  a  grown-up,"  she  promises  herself,  "I 
will  have  a  little  garden  full  of  all  those  flowers.  It  will  be 
Heaven." 

The  little  girl  is  now  a  grown-up.  Travel,  change,  a  fair  share 
of  life's  joys  and  vicissitudes  have  been  hers.  But  true  to  her 
childish  resolve,  she  has  a  garden  "full  of  all  those  flowers." 
Nor  is  she  disappointed.  For  it  is  Heaven. 


Library 

N.    C.    State    College 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  PEONY 

The  Book  of  the  Peony,  by  Mrs.  Edward  Harding 

J.  B.  Lippincott  Company,  1917 

This  book  includes  a  history  of  the  peony,  a  detailed  list  of  125  stan- 
dard varieties,  and  information  as  to  the  tree  peony. 

Index  Ketvensis,  and  references  therein. 

A  number  of  articles  and  pamphlets  on  the  peony  have 
been  published.  Among  the  more  important  are  five 
Bulletins  published  by  Cornell  University  (Agricultural 
Experiment  Station) : 

The  Peony  Check-List,  by  J.  Eliot  Coit,  1907 
No.  259     The  Peony,  by  J.  Eliot  Coit,  1908 

No.  278     Classification  of  the  Peony,  by  Leon  D.  Batchelor,  1910 
No.  306     Classification  of  the  Peony,  by  Leon  D.  Batchelor,  1911 
The  Peony:  A  Flower  for  the  Farmer,  hy  A.  C.  Beal,  1920 

"Pseonia"  —  article  by  K.  C.  Davis  in  the  Cyclopedia  of  American 
Horticulture,  Vol.  3,  p.  243.    The  Macmillan  Company,  1916 


Printed    by    McGrath-Sherrill    Press,    Boston 
Bound  by  Boston  Bookbinding  Co.,  Cambridge 


